“Wow I look like trash today./I look so fat/ugly/etc.”
“I have no weekend plans I’m such a loser lol”
“[Insert normal quirk about self] – this is why I’m single”
I’m sure you’ve seen posts on social media with captions similar to these, or popular memes or accounts with similar themes.
I will admit, it’s almost too easy to put yourself down without thinking about it, even when making a joke. In my opinion, this is absolutely encouraged and engaged by Internet culture. Sarcastically self-deprecating humor is very popular, especially on social media platforms like Reddit, Instagram and Twitter.
These memes and tweets aren’t simply about embracing our flaws, because no one is perfect. It’s more than that. In my opinion, what memes like this do, is reinforce the idea that’s it’s okay to think lowly of yourself. It’s okay, because everyone else is doing it too. Tweets and Instagram posts like this often get thousands of retweets. Accounts mainly based on this type of humor can garner hundreds or thousands of followers. From personal experience, I can say that going on social media and seeing memes about how badly other people feel about themselves is validating. But it can still be harmful.
Most of us know the effects social media can have on our self-image. Seeing people who are seemingly more successful, happier, wealthier, and in better shape than us can make us feel poorly about ourselves in comparison. What about when people are sharing the opposite? How is that supposed to make us feel?
Perhaps thinking that people are purposefully pretending to hate themselves on social media for attention is cynical. Most of us probably laugh, retweet and move on. However, it is worth taking time to consider the intention behind these posts, especially if you find that your feed tends to make you feel worse.