The impact of social media on self-esteem has been investigated for years. The documentary Happy, the dictatorship of happiness on social networks summarizes the issues raised by these platforms and recalls the perverse effects of distorting mirrors such as Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat and TikTok. Especially on teenagers.
Posted yesterday at 10:00 a.m.
The scene is eloquent: during a walk with her four children, Marie-Astrid, a 40-year-old French mother, stops here and there to have them pose, sketch their portraits and immediately publish the most “instagrammable” images. Her virtual diary, which has more than 1,000 photos, shows a seemingly flawless life. It is also akin to “false advertising”, she admits.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY TÉLÉ-QUÉBEC
Louane (right) admits to feeling bad seeing other people’s lives on social media, but it’s not something she discusses with her mother.
Life is not perfect, indeed. However, this is not always seen on the most popular digital platforms to which about half of human beings are connected, observes director Élisa Jadot. His film Happy, the dictatorship of happiness on social networks takes stock of the situation through testimonials from users — especially teenagers or young adults — and specialists who dissect the discomforts hidden behind these masks of perfection.
Marie, 22, spends one day a week performing in various situations to feed her Instagram account. She publishes beautiful things, she says, out of a desire to catch the eye. Above all, she publishes selfies where she appears well made up and well dressed.
“Does this happiness have an effect in real life? asks Élisa Jadot in her documentary. Nothing is less certain: when she dares to show herself to the camera without makeup, Marie admits to being afraid of the judgment of others.
She seeks validation in the likes, a crying need in this young woman who, as a child, suffered from having no friends.
Happy, the dictatorship of happiness on social networks sometimes pushes open doors: we have known for years that the algorithms of Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and others only serve to keep users online as long as possible to better sell advertising. We have also been reading for years that these images of happiness and beauty are detrimental to the morale of users, especially the youngest.
In this time of a pandemic, with the isolation that the most restrictive health measures, physical distancing and the impossibility of meeting in groups can cause, it is probably worth reflecting on these issues again. Thinking in particular of the youngest, whose identity is under construction and who, outside the family circle, had at times only a virtual world to measure themselves against.
Wednesday, 8 p.m., on Télé-Québec