The Great Depression in the 1920's was caused by global crisis, financial ruin, and foul weather. Depression nowadays is pretty much caused by all the same things. Sick.
However, in the age of the Internet, most people who are wildly depressed can cope with a number of resources. The most important of those coping mechanisms is humor in the form of memes. With the ability to laugh off our sadness, people today seem more lighthearted than ever, but that's just because we're blasting metal music on the train to work, while working through our anxieties with a fidget spinner.
Sure, it's probably inadvisable to brush off serious mental problems with a quick chuckle and by tagging your friends in a post, but that's just the way things are done these days. We listen to emo music, we paint our nails, and we laugh at the absurdity of life with our friends. They do say a smile is the best medicine, but I haven't actually smiled in years. Most people simply snort laugh at their phones for one split second and that's enough serotonin to sustain for the week.