Social Media, Is It Worth It?
The reason I pose this question is from the recent observations I have made regarding the impacts of social media.
Throughout my childhood I was longing to be a teenager so I could go to parties with friends, laughing and singing the night away. However the party lifestyle has betrayed me as I have come to discover that these so-called ‘social-events’, are just an opportunity to publicize your manufactured perfection on as many media platforms as there are.
I’ve noticed and become routine to the strict timeline of events as my peers surround me at 6 o’clock posing for a ‘pre-party picture’ just to remind everyone that they do indeed have a social life.
This is shortly followed by the 7 o’clock selfie. Even after all the face painting and hair fiddling, you will still find yourself in front of the mirror, front face camera at the ready, manipulating your reflection to create an illusion of perfection ready to present to the world.
8 o’clock comes around and you gather your team to ensure that you capture that perfect shot that shows off your abundance of friends.
However at 9 o’clock, I find myself witnessing the false enthusiasm as people run around stating that they’re ‘making friends’, when in reality, both counterparts are fully aware that this is just a ploy to appear popular to the beloved Instagram followers; the same Instagram followers you’ll turn a blind to, because despite the regular interaction on social media, you’ve missed out on learning social skills and are completely incompetent when it comes to having a face to face conversation. As far as you’re concerned, all that really matters is this superficial entity in which the number of likes defines your self worth.
By midnight you have a camera roll full of meaningless pictures but no authentic memories to take away with you.
100 million people currently use Snapchat, there are 248 million tweeters, over 300 million that post on Instagram and 1.35 billion people actively updating their status on Facebook. I’m not saying all 1.35 billion are absorbed into a virtual world, but it gives a good indication.
However, my views on social media are not entirely cynical. The development of the technological age is incredible and I appreciate the hard work that’s been put into it. With the help of Facebook I’ve been able to keep in touch with people whom I haven’t crossed paths with in over 5 years. Although, these are friends I had before Facebook, not friends that I want to attract via Facebook.
I find it incredibly shameful that there are people who would prefer to spend time creating a deceitful façade in order to gain friends, as oppose to the old fashioned way of a face to face conversation with someone, allowing them to get to know you for who you really are.
But the saddest thing of all is that I too have been lured into this corrupt network. Despite recognising the flaws in the system, the appeal of social media is too much to refuse.
I am ashamed to be part of the mindless mass that find pleasure in posting filtered pictures of oneself and judging the posts of others. I am fully aware that the people speculating my Instagram posts and my anecdotes on Twitter will make their final judgement on the real life Georgia, the Georgia who can have a fact to face conversation.
Unfortunately, after being guilty of such conceited behaviour for so long now, it’s too late to turn back. I’m trapped in an online universe, rarely appreciating the real world.
Social media has consumed every single one of us and is the biggest deterrence to enjoyment. Is it worth it?
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