Facebook doesn't care about your mental health

The social media giant might nix likes, but that doesn't mean it has your mental well-being at heart

The Facebook Like button.
(Image credit: Illustrated | ihorzigor/iStock, Wikimedia Commons, DickDuerrstein/iStock, Murata Yuki/iStock)

We all know that little thrill of creating a popular post on Facebook. Watching the likes rack up is like getting a steady stream of dopamine bursts, and it can be both seductive and addictive.

That same buzz can have its downsides, though. We all know the feeling of watching the posts of others get unending positive feedback. We become jealous, assuring ourselves that the only reason these people are getting attention is because they're popular, good looking, etc. We spiral into self-loathing and comparison.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Navneet Alang

Navneet Alang is a technology and culture writer based out of Toronto. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, New Republic, Globe and Mail, and Hazlitt.