Social media and smartphones are just part of the problem . They create anxiety for sure . Social media , once connecting people , now pulls apart the fabric of society; losing basic sense of belonging and safety . Social media is toxic but even without it we have a problem -- being bombarded 24/7 with instant messages . People used to wait for a landline call or meet outside . These two aspects of human interaction are now fundamental and irreversible (only harm reduction can be suggested).
The threat of terror or starvation has decreased while life expectancy had gone up , pretty much across the world . Some threats are echoed by the news , social media -- and alarmingly private messaging between friends . But people are genuinely worried about their prospects (and not just the materialistic ones) . It's rarely about what you have right now , but what you can have in the future . Can I , the "normal/simple" person , have a family? Not really . Even "impulsive suicides" are rarely due to an event -- but thinking of it as a disaster that will obliterate everything in the future . This is a common thread . The idea of 'no future ahead' is the core problem , almost always .
Previous generations had problems but not to such extent . Many boomers enjoyed an almost-free education and housing that was affordable. Sadly , working hard and being tough no longer guarantees one's future (unlike their times) . Research shows younger generations are living with their parents till the age of 40 not because they're spoiled but because they work/study and cannot afford otherwise . Some boomers focus on short-term hardships or materialistic comparisons of their time -- and miss that substantial imbalance and crucial long-term uncertainty (anxiety). Some of them refuse to listen , and their dismissal of these issues is a huge problem .
It is no coincidence that there are more riots across the world , from gilets jaunes to George Floyd . Even without social media there is anger and angst . Even without watching the news and tweets there are genuine turmoils and real life dangers . This was a decade of cuts. pay freeze and deregulation , as countries and industries were initially threatened by a spiraling debt and liquidity ; but without pay growth and as essential services (health to infrastructure) were crumbling . Let's not be naive , this did not come out of the blue but was governments' stated policies, across most of the world and political spectrum.
Some of us will be suicidal regardless . Some won't . This is not a materialistic or a monetary evaluation -- some suicidals may have benefited from a better societal support and kindness from the community around them , or better attentive healthcare (rather than being dismissed and unattended). This is also true for severely distressed people who would become desperate and potentially suicidal . Of course , some have long term issues and would be unmoved by such changes .
Tying all this together , social media and smartphones , prospect and riots , essential services and support , uncertainty and pain... In terms of distress and volatility as a society we are either in 1968 , or .. 1939 . More and more historians and sociologists point to that (and not the sensational news personas but non-alarmists academics) .
Something is amiss ; something is awry.
