Do you believe that every morning is brighter and sunnier than the last; that simply getting out of bed is a special gift – another golden opportunity for you to be a better person and to make the world a more joyous and fulfilling place?
No, nor do I. But reading the daily posts and reels on my social media channels suggests I am in an increasingly dwindling minority.
Reading my Facebook or Instagram feeds is to be transported to a sun-kissed, honeydew world of an eternal breakfast cereal advert, where the smiles are always brighter, the colours always sharper and where nothing bad ever happens to anyone.
On social media, no-one’s child ever fails an exam, no-one forgets their wedding anniversary, has a bad day at work or a hangover that would peel paint.
No-one tells their friend he looks like a bell-end when he grows a moustache in November, or that there’s a word for someone who regularly checks their testicles for lumps and then tells the world about it.
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If you believe what people post on social media, it’s hard to imagine that anyone has ever disagreed with anyone else, done something they’re not proud of, or even had a negative thought.
To scroll through your feeds is to slip into a warm bath of lavender-scented positivity and, although we all know that it’s a confected reality, we continue to gather in a circle and hold hands for the next happy clappy reel.
There’s an inherent contradiction in social media because it allows everyone to be what they want to be, simply by saying so.
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