The Internet and Mental Health

The internet has had a complex and not entirely positive effect on mental health.

Not because technology is inherently harmful. But because the way we use it – the comparison, the performance, the relentlessness – creates conditions that are hard on the human psyche.

We measure ourselves against curated versions of other people’s lives. We seek validation through likes and retweets. We confuse connection with community – 5,000 followers is not the same as people who would show up if you needed them.

The people I see thriving online have clear boundaries about when they’re on, when they’re off, what they share, what they keep private. They use the internet rather than being used by it.

The question worth asking: is the way you use the internet making you more human, or less?