Sadness in the Age of Social Media: Scrolling, Comparing, and Suffering
We live in a hyperconnected world, yet we have never felt so alone. Social media promise connection, but often generate dissatisfaction. How can we turn this tool into an ally of joy?
We wake up and, before even saying “good morning,” we reach for our screens. We scroll through polished images, perfect smiles, dream trips, sculpted bodies, celebrated successes. We scroll, we compare… and often, we suffer.
Social networks, created to connect us, expose us every day to a showcase of other people’s happiness—one we know is filtered and curated, yet still makes us feel out of place.
As if our own lives, in all their simplicity and imperfection, somehow mattered less.
The problem is not what others share. The problem begins within us, in the way we relate to what we see. It starts with a silent, often unconscious comparison that whispers corrosive thoughts: “They are happy… I’m not.”
This is how a new form of modern melancholy is born: scroll-induced sadness—subtle, invisible, yet pervasive.
Unspoken envy
This is not the loud, traditional kind of envy. It is something more subtle: a clear-eyed sadness, often accompanied by guilt (“I shouldn’t feel this way. I know it’s just appearances”), yet still powerful.
When we see someone achieving a dream, a quiet voice asks: “Why not me?”
There is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s human. Comparison is part of our psychological structure.
But when it is fed daily, for hours, with digitally perfected content, it can become toxic.
Unrecognized and unwelcome, these emotions distance us from ourselves and from true joy—the kind that is born from presence, authenticity, and gratitude for who we are, not just for what we show.
The draining vicious circle
Many people fall into a vicious cycle without realizing it: they feel inadequate after seeing certain posts, so they share something themselves, in order to feel “seen,” “appreciated,” “validated.”
But once the effect of the likes fades, the emptiness returns.
The need for approval can never be satisfied if it comes from the fear of not being enough.
Social media then become a tragic theater: everyone on their own stage, everyone both actor and spectator in other people’s lives—and everyone lonelier than ever.
Are social media the enemy?
No. Social media are simply an amplified mirror. The problem is not the platform, but how we use it.
Every tool can be poison or medicine. It all depends on how we handle it.
Social media can be a powerful force for awareness, kindness, and authenticity.
They can bring joy, if we choose not to impress but to express.
Questions to ask yourself
👉 Am I posting to share… or to fill a void?
👉 Does this content truly reflect me… or is it just a mask?
👉 How do I feel when I look at this photo—love, inspiration… or inferiority?
Before posting, ask yourself:
Am I feeding my ego or my heart?
Before scrolling, ask yourself:
Am I trying to compare… or to connect?
The Sempreunagioia method
Using social media according to the Sempreunagioia method means choosing authenticity over perfection, presence over filters, genuine sharing over performance.
It means having the courage to show your bad days, your doubts, your fragile thoughts.
Because true human connection is born from vulnerability.
It means sharing a sunset that moved you—not because it’s “Instagram-worthy,” but because it reminded you that you are alive.
It means writing a thought that comes straight from the heart, even if it isn’t perfect, because it is real.
And above all, it means learning to look at other people’s lives without losing sight of your own.
Because every time you compare yourself, you risk forgetting that your joy doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.
Social media have opened a window onto the world, but at times they have blurred our view of ourselves.
Joy doesn’t need filters, cannot be measured in likes, and doesn’t grow with followers.
Joy lives in feeling whole, present, and connected to yourself.
And yes, you can find it on Instagram—if you know where to look:
not in perfect lives, but in sincere moments, welcoming words, and inspiring gestures.
Remember:
📌 Joy is not a goal to display, but a way of living—even in the digital world.
📌 And with every scroll, you can choose: to be drained… or to be nourished.
Sempreunagioia









