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Social media is the thief of our happiness

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When I first stepped foot onto this campus, I remembered thinking to myself that these would be the best years of my life. But my optimism soon soured into a bitter pessimism when I realized that the image marketed of LUMS was a flimsy facade. I had, for the longest time, a romanticized notion of LUMS specifically- and of university life generally. No one had ever told me the bitter truth that would shatter my fantasy: the fact that university can be a very lonely and unforgiving place.


I have always found it strange that our brain has the capacity to remember the most mundane things. Certain instances that hold no apparent value are forever etched into our memory, while the rest of our lifetime seems to bleed endlessly into an undifferentiated stream of time. Thus, amongst other things, I remember the first time I saw the crystal green sea in Balochistan, or when I felt an indescribale peace walking in my childhood home, or when I sat with my friends under the starry sky talking about life. And now, even after four years, I still remember the first time I came to campus. It was an overcast day and dark grey clouds hung over the daunting brick structure of LUMS. A certain excitement hung about in the air which was manifestly contagious. Raucous laughter filled the air of the khoka as people massed together to witness the first drop of rain. Even now, I vividly remember walking towards the khokha, taking in the most beautiful sight of exhilaration and anticipation, and somewhere between the ecstasy of a reopened campus (this was the first day after the lockdown had been lifted) and the dark sky interspersed with vivid flashes, the thought came to me that everything would be alright.


I spent the first night cursing my fan. It had suddenly decided to stop working. I woke up drenched in sweat. Being a person possesed with a sane mind, I decided to take a shower. This is when misfortune decided to rear its most ugly head. I was locked inside. I decided to bang the door first, but violence has never been my forte, and the door, defiant as it was, refused to open. Then, I resorted to calling out, but my voice fell on deaf ears. Exhausted, I resigned myself to this cruel fate of imprisonment. Eventually, I was let out and I had no choice but to rush to class. On my way, I tripped and fell, almost damaging my face but despite these mishaps I was yet to loose my optimism.


It so happened that I had an extremely difficult time making friends. I was- and still, to a certain extent I am- naturally reserved. This, ofcourse, meant that I went through the most intense form of lonliness. Matters became worse whenever I opened social media. I saw people living their life to the fullest- a dream that I always had- whilst I was deprived of all fun simply because I could not make friends so fast. It was only later that I realised that the joy portrayed on social media is a veritable lie and that the glorified image of fun we are presented with is simply just that: a glorified image and nothing more.


I would eventually find people that I could call friends; and whilst I was relieved that I no longer had to live isolated, I found myself subconsciously comparing the life I lived to the ones I saw on social media. Soon enough, the contentment and relief I felt at finding these new friends faded away, and I was left with a sense of despondency that reigned heavy on my heart. Whatever I did was never enough because there was someone out there who was living a life much better than mine. Social media had ruined me. To quit social media is exceptionally difficult since it is quite addiciting. Thus, the years that were meant to be free spirited and fun ebbed away in a feeling of depression.


Now, all these years later, when I write this out, I realise just how terrible the impact of social media can be. It reinforces a standard in our minds that we can never truly attain. We were never meant to have such an intimate insight into the lives of other people, and now, when we do peer into lives of other, we are left with an uneasy feeling. Social media takes away our contentment and by doing so steals the happiness that we possess.

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Mhawiah Younus
Mhawiah Younus
09 oct 2024

I deeply resonate with the message in your post about how social media distorts our perception of happiness. It’s so true that the curated versions of others' lives often leave us feeling inadequate, especially in environments like university where social comparison feels heightened. The way you captured the initial excitement of campus life, only to later experience isolation and the pressure of living up to the perfect images on social media, really struck a chord. It’s a stark reminder that social media often projects a filtered reality that can make our own authentic experiences feel less valuable.


The idea that 'we were never meant to have such an intimate insight into the lives of others' is especially powerful—it's almost like…

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