The Source of Envy

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Clarissa

May 30, 2017

The problem with all the reports that Facebook users experience a decline in their mental health because it makes them seethe with envy is that there’s no reason to believe that the source of envy is Facebook and not the people themselves.

It’s truly insane to believe that Facebook turns one into a resentful, jealous gnat instead of one turning Facebook into an opportunity to wallow in an already existing assholery.

And hey, I hate Facebook. But it’s weird when people accuse it of making them who they are.

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7 responses to “The Source of Envy”

TomW

May 30, 2017

I used to feel Facebook related envy, particularly related to other people’s travel posts. I eventually realized that my feelings about travel posts are mostly feelings about the people posting them. I don’t feel envy when people I genuinely like and care for post amazing travel pictures. So now when I feel envy, I stop and think about the person instead and try to figure out why it is that I don’t really like them that much. It’s really kind of useful now that I know what to do with it.

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1. Clarissa
  
  May 30, 2017
  
  It would be great if more people were thos self-aware.
  
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  1. TomW
    
    May 30, 2017
    
    It took me a while to get there.
    
    I really like the fact that I can keep up with far-flung friends and family with Facebook, but you really have to be conscious that you are getting what you want/need out of it and minimizing the bad stuff. That means lots of unfollowing, unfriending and occasional breaks. I have recently taken it off my phone so that I am not checking in too often.
    
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2. xykademiqz
  
  May 30, 2017
  
  This is a great point. I never begrudge the people I really care about, only those I dislike for some reason.
  
  Realizing this has also led to a way to cure envy against some people, at least for me. I focus on getting to know them better (in real life, of course) and before you know it, they are just normal people like everyone else, and empathy overshadows envy.
  
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Shakti

May 30, 2017

I thought Instagram was the new hot source of social media envy, which means people have moved onto Periscope and Snapchat or something else because I’m about five years behind everyone in my putative peer group.

ducks

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David P. Bellamy

May 30, 2017

Facebook has never inspired envy in my mind. I like it a lot, as it enables me to keep in touch with old friends in a way that is as close or as distant as I wish.

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Fie upon this quiet life

May 30, 2017

“And hey, I hate Facebook. But it’s weird when people accuse it of making them who they are.”

This comment made me laugh out loud. It’s so true it hurts! Lol!

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