Real value

When people do share such sentiments, they are ignored or told that they're over-sharing. I admit that I've even felt this about other people "fishing for pity", though at the same time I realize what a stupid, negative, uncaring thought that is to have, particularly in light of it being so-called 'social' technology.

However, the above passage leads me to wonder: you know how they say that you can change yourself from the outside in? For example, feeling nervous about a job interview of blind date? Literally skip for the last 20 feet to the door. It's very difficult to keep a negative frame of mind when skipping along. Force yourself to smile, and you may soon find yourself genuinely smiling more.

Does this hold true for 'social' networking? Let's say I'm depressed and haven't gone out much. If I focus on going out, doing something, and taking a picture of it, and then make a positive (or pseudo-positive) post about it, am I not effectively improving my real emotional situation?

Incidentally, I had a traumatic experience a few years ago when I met an amazing person who profoundly changed my life over the course of a mere month. She then passed away unexpectedly. I wrote a Facebook 'note' about my experience and feelings. It received little response on Facebook. When meeting friends in person, however, they often mentioned how deeply touched they'd been by what I wrote. So, the social pressure to be positive extends to the point that we don't even comment on our friends' tragedies online.