I would like to talk about this well known theme, now that I kind of feel with a more objective point of view. I mean, today I don't feel –all adict and positive about social media, willing to spend more than half of my day watching the features of all my friends on facebook, instagram– but neither feel that "social media hater", that claims that everything is fake and everyone is an hypocrite.
I will start by saying that I think I will never (or at least in a near future) shut down my facebook account, cause I think Facebook is a nice way to keep in touch with those that don't live close to you. You know, is always nice to find some features on your timeline about that friend or relative that has accomplish something good for them. Even though they are not that close to you, still it's comforting to know that you can always reach that friend that live in another state or country and see "what's going on " in their lives.
It is also really funny to find and download the last Memes on your phone and share them on your wall. I mean, one of the reasons why I like to open my facebook app is to relax myself and catch some smiles by those great mexican Memes that make jokes about everything and alienate us for a moment of our boring/sad reality... Memes increase endorphins and that's good! :)
But both aspects hide also very negative sides, which I'll mention right away.
1. They make us professional stalkers, although I've just say that social media is positive because it allows you to see what is going on your friend's lives. It could also turn you into that person that realises that his thumb hurts after scrolling the facebook timeline for one hour, and watch that some random person that we knew in high school (but actually have never talk like in... 6 years) took a picture with his girlfriend that we don't even going to fucking meet in person like...ever!. To be honest, we don't care about this person or his girlfriend or their goals. We became this silent specter that observes every move and then: even like it or despise it. That's what we do, we like or despise people with just one clic.
2. Which take me to another dangerous point about social media these days: Likes as the representation of how good you actually do in life.
C'mon, who in hell will ever upload intentionally an instagram picture where he or she appears not in their best angle, outfit, face?
Likes are the acceptance currency of 21th century. We all desire them, otherwise, why would we post our aesthetic casual (not!, in fact, it took us like 15 shots before we choose the right one) picture of our delicious lunch and coffee we took this morning in this awesome-cool place?
This desire of acceptance, does not respect or care about age, gender, social status, urban tribes, etc. Likes represent the approval of those people we don't care, but at the same time we care that much to try to impress them by our "awesomeness", check in's in cool/exclusive places, western beauty standards pics with tumblr poses, stunning-killing outfits pretending we look like that everyday, or that random casual perfect picture posing/not posing. We all have done it, no one escapes it.
Is an implicit rule that we shall post only our accomplishments; never our failures, insecurities, bad days or fears. Otherwise you become a loser or an attention whore, and that means pity and less likes and thumbs up.
The truth is: We all have felt like losers watching all that stunning awesomeness that everyone radiate on their profiles, we compare to each other all the time, we measure our success based on this acceptance currency. Anyone who dares to challenge this, is a freak, an outsider, a loco. And this is soo wrong, becauses it makes us unhappy, insecure and always frustrated, cause guess what? There's always gonna be someone more successful, handsome, skinnier than you. It's a never ending chain.
This issue does not only affects mortals like us, it also concerns bloggers, influencers, and "famous" people. We follow them and like these people. Sadly, I've been realizing that in most cases –even when they actually are good looking people– they also "cheat"-pimp- photoshop their pics to acquire that supposed perfection of casualness. I mean "supposed", because it doesn't exist!, no one is that perfect, we all have pimples sometimes, stretch marks, we do not wake up with perfect hair or have steel abs. That it's a fucking horrible LIE! And I say sadly, because in most cases these "influencers" say: love yourself, love your body, accept you by who you are, because that's what matters.. bla bla. but they don't even accept themselves either. Plastic surgery, eating disorders, photoshop, insanely amount of makeup to acquire a "natural look", fake mink eyelashes to pretend you have long natural and beautiful eyelashes... like wtf! How do we do to live this hypocrite double moral life?
Let's get real: having an acai bowl with chia seeds every morning won't make you instantly skinny neither so killing yourself at the gym, or post how happy and grateful you are for being alive; we all have good and bad days, and pretend that the second ones do no exist, is just stupid and unrealistic, such as our social media standards.
So, I don't really have a straightforward solution for this unsatisfactory feeling we all get sometimes, I just constantly try to remind myself that we are all imperfect humans with a big need of attention and that social media is not the cause of our dissatisfaction but the way we behave around the others and the silly social standards we build around them.
Don't know where this social media euphoria will take us in the nearly future, maybe Black Mirror serie is a precise description of our future reality... at least, the best thing I can do, is unfollow those toxic "high standards" accounts on instagram and try not to stalk people on facebook, or send honest likes. My best advice so far, really: unfollow those toxic people on your social media, that includes your ex (seriously, nothing good can come from it) and follow instead positive things for you: like dogs, unicorns, flowers, and cool vibes. If something pisses you off, ask yourself why, and delete it, even if it's your own account, it's ok feeling like that sometimes, that means you are alive and haven't become a bot yet.
I should stop procrastinating and continue with my thesis, :/ so bye coconut babes :)
and don't forget to follow me on Insta ;) (kidding not kidding)
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