Rosalind Gill is a 60-year-old British sociologist who has written a book called Perfect: Feeling Judged on Social Media. As we are busy midlife women with work and family responsibilities, we agree to do this interview over Zoom, from one side of London to another. By the end of an hour-long conversation, we are soul sisters.
Both mothers of 23-year-old daughters, we unite in concern and sadness for young women today as they struggle to cope with the anxiety-laden, zig-zag emotions that their social media-led lives create. If we had been in the same room, I think we would have hugged each other before we said goodbye.
Gill, professor of social and cultural analysis at City University, part of the University of London, did not set out to write this book. She'd planned to write one focusing on how young people interacted with online mental health apps during Covid lockdowns. "But when I started talking with these young women, that wasn't what they wanted to talk about. They just wanted to talk about their social media."
And what did she hear? "That they really, really struggle. It almost surprised them. It wasn't until they put down their phone and sat talking with a much older, empathetic person that they really realised how hard they were finding it."
Depression, loneliness, fear of judgment, hyper-vigilance, hyper-self-criticism, fear of being excluded, feelings of addiction, isolation, fear of getting it wrong, fear of missing out, fear of looking unpopular, sexual harassment by strangers, feeling not good enough, fear of looking fake, feeling you will never, ever match up to the perfect people you see on the phone that is almost never out of your hand.
Denne historien er fra December 16-22, 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra December 16-22, 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.