What Makes Instagram A Psychological Monster

Selfie, filter, hashtag, post. The moment that post button is hit, the user waits in suspense until the notifications roll in. One “like,” then another, and another. A sigh of relief is evident after confirming that our most recent post is getting approval from our friends and followers. The fear that builds up within us revolves around the thought of the unknown results. Will my crush like my recent post? Do people think that I am fake? How do I stop the online haters from cyberbullying their way into my emotions? The thought process that goes on in Instagram user’s heads before making a post creates dreadful situations and thus creates a monster within. People in today’s modern technological society are always caught up posting about their

Ever since elementary school, we are repeatedly taught about the dangers of the people that use the internet and how to use the internet responsibly, yet somehow online bullying is never prevented. Social media sites are a catalyst for creating poor character traits in today’s world. Now, more people have the confidence to hide behind their computer and type out their hurtful opinions knowing that the victim is unable to fight back physically. These monstrous people feed off of their victim’s emotions and attention. Chuck Klosterman perfectly describes the idea of the monsters in our lives through his article “My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead.” While defining what makes a zombie a zombie, he states “you can’t add much depth to a creature who can’t talk, doesn’t think and whose only motive is the consumption of flesh” (Klosterman 2). The people attacking others behind tiny screens are the zombies in our life; while many exist, they have one common motive, not to eat our brains, but to hurt us mentally and emotionally. Like zombies, cyberbullies have no positive characteristics or unique qualities that differentiate them from other cyberbullies. According to DoSomething.org, a public service organization spreading awareness of serious social topics, over 40% of kids admit to being a victim of cyberbullying. This number will keep increasing if we let the horde of cyberbullying zombies affect us emotionally. Once the victim shows any attention or concern to the negativity, they are slowly being infected. The online bully will win. The possibility of the victim later bullying someone else is high because they will want to let out their built up frustration. The monsters in our day to day life may not look like what the movies and television shows portray, but they definitely exist among us. While the thought of encountering