Comparison: The Thief of Joy

Ah, social media. Where would we be without its endless stream of instant gratification and your weird uncle who still cannot take a profile picture right? Beneath the veneer of memes and trendy recipes, there is a dark truth looming.

Do not get me wrong. Social media is a very valuable tool. It keeps us informed and connected in a world where information flows faster than you can blink. I cannot think of any other way we could keep up with it. Almost everyone is on some form of social media. Herein lies the problem.

Peer pressure. In the past, it meant being pressured into some bad influence by your peers. These days it means something entirely different.

Look at that — your friend Brandon just got a job offer from that huge, successful corporation everyone knows. You should feel proud of Brandon and the hard work he has put in to get there. Instead, you are just a burning pit of jealousy and feelings of inadequacy. And what’s this? Shay made better grades than you did this semester. Why are you such a failure?

The peer pressure of today manifests differently as you can see. Social media is a giant flashing billboard of your peers’ achievements. You cannot help but compare yourself and it seems you are never good enough.

Let us get to the root of the problem. It is not them. It is you. You are basing your happiness on the success of others. People tend to judge themselves more than anyone else ever will. Therefore, you will always fall short.

You are on your own path. All that matters is that you walk it. Nobody else is on that path. Take it day by day. Try to do better than you did the day before. The only person you should be comparing yourself to is the past you. If you are doing better than you have done before, that is what really matters.

By Danny Holland - Danny is a senior public relations and advertising major and the Communications Intern for the Division of Student Affairs at The University of Southern Mississippi.