"The Nexus of Douchebags"

Daniel Gulati worries Facebook is making us depressed:

I monitored and observed how Facebook was impacting the lives of hundreds of young businesspeople. As I went about my research, it became clear that behind all the liking, commenting, sharing, and posting, there were strong hints of jealousy, anxiety, and, in one case, depression. ... Since our Facebook profiles are self-curated, users have a strong bias toward sharing positive milestones and avoid mentioning the more humdrum, negative parts of their lives. Accomplishments like, "Hey, I just got promoted!" or "Take a look at my new sports car," trump sharing the intricacies of our daily commute or a life-shattering divorce. This creates an online culture of competition and comparison.

I have a friend who feels this way as well and the last time we talked referred to Facebook as "the nexus of all douchebags and douchebaggery in the world". I actually think Facebook isn't making us depressed at all - though I agree with Gulati's observations - rather, Facebook is reflecting back at us digital imitations (albeit crude) of the behaviors that already account for how we manipulate people into thinking we're feeling one way when in fact we're feeling quite another (see Clarissa Dalloway for examples in literature).