Slaying the dragon of social media envy

Slaying the dragon of social media envy (Photo: iStock)

Those who have mastered the art of carefully curating their online lives have inadvertently forged a fertile environment for a psychologically insidious phenomenon known as social media envy.

This is not just casual admiration, far from it. It is a deep-seated, often painful feeling of discontent or resentment brought about by observing the perceived success, happiness or possessions of others online. The constant bombardment of reels and carousels may prompt an unfair and psychologically damaging comparison to your own unedited, imperfect, complex life.