How to Be Trendy on Social: Hint, it Involves Being Sad

Now it’s all about “JOMO” — the Joy of Missing Out.

By Anayah Brito

In 2021 it was Euphoria and Twilight core, and today it’s how to be the ultimate “femcel sad girl” version of yourself.

Lately on social media we’ve been seeing a large increase of depressed content. The only way to be seen as pretty and trend on social media is by posting sad Lana Del Rey or Marina And The Diamonds song lyrics.  

Highlighting mental health on social media is all about reposting or retweeting “relatable” depressing content for thousands of teens to comment “same” to. But one must start to ask: Is this an attempt to destigmatize mental health?

Via Unsplash

And I can’t help but wonder, can this lead to teens wanting to be mentally ill? I can personally say yes, and here’s why: If you have a bunch of teens sharing this one narrative that depression, anxiety, etc. is something that only “pretty people” have to deal with, then it's going to lead to misdiagnosing themselves or seeking it out which is one of the many negative effects of this side of social media.

The age of being Sad Online is characterized by a feeling of reverse FOMO, a tacit agreement to redefine cool on the internet through JOMO (the Joy of Missing Out), and the capacity to classify it as social anxiety.  

But at last, there is hope for today's sad culture on social media. Even platforms like Instagram have made an effort to prevent glamorizing content by encouraging #socialanxiety posts that are actually about seeking therapy rather than marketing for clothing items and forbidding hashtags with a known negative connotation, like #proana (pro anorexia). Even the nearly extinct Tumblr is upholding its liberal guidelines by referring those who search for #suicide to support sites and resources.

A change in social media culture could be a part of the answer to the issue it caused, which may help us stop spiraling out of control. Particularly in the virtual world, humans naturally adapt to new situations and even create environments that meet their needs.