RTL: Instagram Egg And the Pressures Of Social Media

RTL released a report by journalist Ida Hamer on “The Most Famous Egg in the World”, that has more than 52 million likes on Instagram. Many liked the egg assuming it was about a campaign proving that anything can get a lot of likes on social media with good promotion. A few days ago, the most-liked egg on the internet cracked with the message: “Recently I’ve started to crack. The pressure of social media is getting to me”. Everyone who liked the egg got a message about where they can turn to help in their own countries if they feel like they are “cracking”, that is, if they feel like the pressure of social media is damaging their mental health. In that way, the campaign sent a well-meaning message.

Our psychologist Mia Roje commented on this campaign:

“It’s good to see social media like, for example, Instagram can be used in a positive way. I think it’s a very nice way to figuratively show young people what can happen under the pressure of social media. Young people can develop depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, they can feel like everyone is watching them, observing them, judging them for not being as beautiful, good and successful as their peers, or their peers’ profiles on social media.”