Instagram likes. Facebook comments. Twitter retweets. We are the age of social media and freedom of expression. We post super cute pictures of our new puppy or express our political and social views in 140 characters or less. We put a ring of lights around our phone cases to assure the best lighting possible for our new Instagram selfie. I too am guilty of this need for reassurance from the number next to a little blue heart underneath my pictures. But why? What significant does this number have on my well-being? Is social media beneficial or is it dangerous? That is what I am trying to find out.
From "Psychology Today," Larry Rosen Ph.D. stated that a “like” on Facebook or Instagram can be considered “Virtual Empathy.” So is that why we want likes so badly? So people can empathize with us? Although I am not sure the power of a “like” can be directly linked to empathy, I do believe it shapes a lot of our self-worth. I draw from personal experience when I say there have been times when I felt really bad about myself, so I dolled myself up, created some really flattering lighting and took a selfie for Instagram. I did this not because I wanted to stare at a really good picture of myself to make me feel better, but to receive the various likes and comments from people telling me how pretty I was. But then again, everyone does that, right?
Last year, a well know Instagram model Essena O’Neil publicly decided to eliminate herself from all types of social media. She even went to the extent to change her captions on certain Instagram photos to her real thoughts and feelings about the picture, even changing one caption to “This picture is the only thing that made me happy that day.” O’Neil explained about the dangers of social media and about the obsession with virtual gratification that had taken over her life. For her, the solution was to give up social media and all its entirety.
I agree, there are instances where social media can be dangerous and sometimes even become an obsession, but life online is no more dangerous than life in the real world. Many people have used social media to build an empire. From Instagram models, to famous YouTube sensations—social media has graced many with career opportunities they may not have already had. Not only has social media become a platform for aspiring actors or makeup artists, it has become a safe haven for young kids and teenagers everywhere. Whether they are able to escape a rough home life through the comfort of an online world, or make friends in different places that they may have never met otherwise.
Our generation uses social media to spread awareness and start movements. To speak of equality and bring justice to victims who cannot do it all by themselves. There’s no doubt about it that it’s a scary world out there, both online and off. But social media has given us the power to express ourselves in a way that no one ever thought possible. Social media has the power to do a lot of things, just depends on how you utilize it. So what do you think? Is social media destructive and captivating an impressionable audience? Or are the dangers of those online no more than the ones we face every day in the real world?
