The Problem With Positivity?

I was bored and frustrated and did what apparently every similarly afflicted person would do, and went on Youtube. There I saw a video by Bobby Burns about forced positivity on Youtube and media in general.

Since I think a lot about marketing and copy, I also have to think a lot about forced positivity.
I try to strike a balance.

Many gigs that come through for freelancers are going to request that you write a piece on an individual, a company, organization, or product. The subjects and topics are exceedingly varied, yet they hold one thing in common; they all want positive perspective.
I've turned down a number of gigs because I couldn't write positively about the individual or company.

The balance is obviously to maintain a voice of authority. Be engaging and informational rather than overly promotional.

But... This is the internet and it's created by us. We write and share the content, it's a remarkably free platform in that someone without recommendation can create a space where they can have a voice. I am a prime example this very moment.
So why are we also so obsessed with constant positivity? We, the serfers of this digital sphere, are always a little bored, a little tired, a little suspicious of the quality or accuracy of the content we're reading; we're not blindingly happy, so why do we promote content we can't relate to?

Perhaps it's simply that we want to relate to it.

There are occasions when I will watch someone on Youtube and wonder why I never seem to have that much energy, am never that excited, and never quite that outwardly happy.
Youtubers are attractive and well lit, they seem symmetrical and appear to have a color scheme; things I certainly don't have.
But media replaced personalities with brands, they re-frame the chaos of life and sell it back to us tamed and suddenly "quirky".

Sometimes I watch Youtube to escape, and sometimes it merely serves to broaden the gap between unreasonable expectations, and disappointing reality.

I do have unreasonable expectations, although I may not necessarily believe in them, they have the ability to haunt me.
I may have an unreasonable expectation regarding friendship or success, what independence means, or even placing unreasonable ideals on my past decisions and berating myself for falling short.

I said reality was disappointing, and that obviously isn't true. But with a narrow enough perspective anyone can forget their talents, ambitions, and their progress and genuinely believe that their life is going nowhere. Media can be very effective in doing that sometimes.

I suppose the purpose of this inane ramble was simply to state that positivity is great, but only when it's authentic. And sadness has power too, and can also be beautiful if it's authentic.

Perhaps I am merely saying that it is okay to be real, to have flaws, to not feel fantastic all of the time. Because when you fake it, eventually the time will come where you can't discern true happiness from the artificial.