AI Column: The Hidden “Mental Divide” Revealed by Social Media — What Low Self-Esteem Does to Society

 

SNS and the Exposure of Human Vulnerability

Social networking services were born under the ideal of “connecting the world.” Yet what has spread in reality is not greater happiness, but the exposure of human vulnerability. The information society has drawn people into a vortex of comparison, turning satisfaction into dissatisfaction and amplifying social anxiety.

Bhutan, once called “the happiest country in the world,” is symbolic. In 2013 it ranked 8th in the UN World Happiness Report, but by 2019—after the spread of smartphones—it had plummeted to 95th. There was no economic crisis, no war. The reason for the decline is clear: happiness is determined not by absolute value but by relative value. The moment comparison begins, satisfaction turns into dissatisfaction. SNS has normalized this “infinite comparison.”

Japan is no exception. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of suicides in 2024 was 20,268, including a record 527 elementary, junior high, and high school students. Behind this lie cyberbullying and comparison stress linked to SNS. Police statistics show that 101 suicides over three years were directly related to online troubles. Psychology warns us: those with low self-esteem cannot withstand the flood of information. In fact, only 17.5% of Japanese youth say they “like themselves as they are,” compared to over 50% in Western countries. SNS has made this fragility visible and widened the gap.

A society that tolerates low self-esteem carries national-level risks. More young people avoid challenges, the cycle of poverty is reproduced, workplaces see the spread of blame-shifting and avoidance of responsibility, and productivity declines. In families, insecure attachment formation destabilizes relationships, passing the same structure to the next generation. When aggression turns outward, it erupts as random attacks or online firestorms. This is no longer an individual issue but a structural challenge that threatens social order.

What, then, should be done? Individual efforts—building small successes, limiting SNS use, practicing mindfulness, or keeping journals—are useful but limited. Self-esteem depends deeply on early attachment and educational environments. Institutional intervention is necessary.

In education, evaluation systems should emphasize “growth over comparison.” Finland’s reforms, which assess the learning process rather than just test scores, provide a model. In workplaces, cultures that value not only results but also challenges and collaboration, while ensuring psychological safety, are needed. In families, parent education and improved childcare quality are essential to support stable attachment.

Regulation is only a temporary shield. The flow of information cannot be stopped. Therefore, we must cultivate resilience of the mind. To close the “mental gap” exposed by SNS, society as a whole must build systems that raise self-esteem institutionally. The true challenge of the information age lies not in technology but in the human inner world. We cannot stop the flood of information—but we can build levees for the heart.

Link

English ver.