Selfie, Selfie on the Net, Who's the Fairest of Us Yet?

Eerie similarities between deaths of Annalise Braakensiek and Charlotte Dawson

I don't think "social media" would be the single cause of someone taking their own life, but it could play a big factor if you valued other people's opinions of who they thought you were.

What people turned to before "social media"?

"Reines believes the pressure of keeping up appearances, of staying relevant and in demand in a sea of beautiful young Instagram “influencers” eventually broke her.
“You know, I saw the headline ‘Sydney model dead’ and I got such a shock when I saw it was Annalise,” she said."

"“But you know, I look back at the times I spent with her and she just kept wanting to push herself more and more.

“It took a huge amount of work to look the way she did and maintain it. She would scrub and scrub herself from head to toe in circular motions to fight cellulite and stress the importance of taking saunas.
“She taught me how to pose in doorways and which way to look to catch the perfect light.
“She agonised over her weight and everything revolved around social media, so if she went out to eat it would have to be a restaurant where the food was instagrammable.
“It might have looked like a wonderful life on Instagram but in reality it was an endless, punishing cycle.”
Braakensiek’s cause of death has not yet been released. Police are preparing a report for the coroner.
If you or someone you know needs help, contact BeyondBlue on 1300 224 636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. RUOK? is a suicide prevention charity that aims to start life-changing conversations."

I remember listening to Annalise on a podcast episode on Osher Gunsberg's site not long after reading his book when I was going back through the archives there, and that was recorded only five years ago, so it was a bit of a shock to hear someone who seemed so strong end her life like that -

THE OSHER GÜNSBERG PODCAST #8: ANNALISE BRAAKENSIEK

Most people try to pretend that they lead the fairy tale life on "social media" and usually it is just that.

Holding a poison apple up to the mirror?-)

"Social media" is the new magic mirror and poison apple of the modern age, I think.
And it usually doesn't end happily ever after.

From a January 5th, 2018 Queensland newspaper

When life gives you apples, don't bite?