In the modern era and with the onset of social media, there has been a concerning trend toward the romanticization of depression, or modern-day melancholy. As we have explored the historical contexts of beauty in different kinds of melancholy, there are explanations for the positive perspective of such a difficult topic. In the conversations of today, however, there is a very harmful perspective that there is something good or to be envied about being depressed. Anima Shrestha brings light to this issue by saying "a quick search of tags such as 'depression', 'self-harm', or 'suicide' on Tumblr brings up a multitude of black-and-white, aesthetically pleasing photos of razor blades and bottles of pills with self-deprecating, suicide-promoting captions" (Shrestha 69). This fact alone shows the harmful nature of social media in promoting the 'romantic' side of mental illness.

However, not every discussion of depression in the media is quite as dark or harmful. Some may be familiar with the show 13 Reasons Why which was released on Netflix in 2017. This show followed the suicide of a teenage girl, and there was a lot of concern surrounding the sensitive topic being put on a streaming platform for any young child to see. However, a study done by Ferguson concluded that they did not find "correlational, let alone causal connections between such media and real suicides in real life". While this data is relieving, we should still be wary of who we allow to view these kinds of media, since it may be traumatizing to young children or those struggling with mental health.

There should also be a noted distinction between the two above examples. The Tumblr example shows a romanticized and toxic version of depression, while the Netflix example shows how they are trying to bring light to the very real mental health issues that affect people in a sensitive way. These are two very different things, although they should both be regarded with caution.

Besides this idea of romanticized depression in modern times, there is actually some beauty to be found in depression. In Burnard's journal on his experience with depression, he concludes with a somewhat positive note by saying "When depression leaves you...some aspects of life seem all the better" (Burnard 2006). Although depression doesn't often leave those who it afflicts, there is a beauty in being able to find joy in the little things of life again. Even now, we can find hope and beauty in the contrast between melancholy and joy.