On January 17th, 2014, 19 year old Madison Holleran, who was a track star at Northern Highlands High School,  and  a freshman track runner at the  University of Pennsylvania, prepared presents to give to her family. She purchased chocolate for her dad, necklaces for her mom, cookies for her grandparents, clothes for her nephews, and notes for her siblings. However, these presents weren’t given out as a means of thanksgiving, but rather as a parting farewell. On the night of January 17th, Madison took a running jump off of the 9th level of a parking lot in Philadelphia, and passed away in a hospital bed a couple hours after. From an ostensible standpoint, it seemed as if she had it all- a great and loving family, compassionate friends, the opportunity to attend an extremely prestigious university, and the chance to run and compete for one of the top track programs in the United States. Only months before her forced death, Madison had posted a picture of her and her father at the US Tennis Open- a tradition that they celebrated every year. Her social media accounts, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, all depicted her as having an awesome time in college. However, her accomplishments and surroundings were hiding what she was really going through- depression. As Carli, Madison’s sister, describes, “Other people battle depression for years. With Madison, it feels like one day she was happy, the next she was sad and the day after she was gone”.
On social media, Madison’s life seemed ideal- she posted a beautiful, what some may call “artsy” Instagram picture of Rittenhouse Square, a tourist attraction. This seemingly bright and positive picture was published just hours before her suicide. If one were to look solely at her social networks, one would have thought that Madison was a typical college student; stressed out with an abundance of work, but blessed with the opportunity to have an extremely memorable and exhilarating first year of college. Through her online lifestyle and standpoint, it seemed as if her life at the University of Pennsylvania was peaceful, fun, and an experience that every freshman in college yearns to have. However, her private life resembled quite the opposite. This shows the superficiality of social media, and the genuine feelings that hidden behind a phone or a computer. ESPN article writer Kate Fagan describes social media and the fake image it brings; “Checking Instagram is like opening a magazine to see a fashion advertisement. Except an ad is branded as what it is: a staged image on glossy paper. Instagram is passed off as real life”.

Madison’s suicide shows how social media, although widely used positively and for interactions, can represent a bottled up and edited life of someone that may be struggling. Her life seemed perfect; she was posting pictures with her family, pictures of scenery, and she was having daily conversations on Twitter. Social media, ironically, shielded Madison away from everyone, and allowed her to hide behind text messages and edited pictures rather than having face-to-face conversations. Madison’s positive nature on social media websites even deceived her family; although they had a hunch that Madison may have been struggling with slight , not significant depression (Madison’s father disclosed after Madison’s death that their family had a reputation of depression), they thought that Madison would never take her depression to an extent where she would take her own life.

Conclusively, this shows how although in many aspects social media shows technological advancement, and also is a convenient way of speaking to others, it can also be a scapegoat and can influence those around the social media user to have a misjudged and often times completely incorrect perception of the user. As social media and networking grows, the question of superficiality and hidden emotions come up. As amazing the advancement of technology has been in the world, the repercussions that come with it are alarming and should be catered to. Yes, Madison’s self- murder was an aberration; events like these don’t happen with extreme frequency. However, with the rise in technology, these events become more prevalent, and this is because social media is allowing people to hide behind a screen and become emotionally and socially introverted. Knowledge on computers and other machines are increasing, but face to face contact and the need to physically communicate is slowly, but steadily ceasing to exist.