If you didn’t post a picture of yourself doing something, did it really happen?
In our increasingly digital age, most people share this common philosophy. Living in a fast paced society has its benefits as well as its setbacks; it has allowed us to advance in technology tremendously over the years. However, in the midst of this illusion, we have neglected to acknowledge this invisible link between our self-esteem with the online image we portray to the world. People have become obsessed with capturing every moment of their lives and posting it on social media that it only increases the subtle loss of privacy on the internet.
Why have we become so attached to making sure the world knows where we are or what we are doing? When did social media turn into a public popularity contest, where people feel the need to constantly update, to prove that they are having good time? However, with the opportunity to add “friends,” on Facebook, or “favorites,” on Twitter, people may wonder, how could this portrayal of the “perfect ideal image,” or “perfect life,” be psychologically harmful?
According to Westminister University Journalist Miranda Athanasiou, our society has transformed into a brag culture, where people have become so focused on, “Narrating [their] lives online that [they] are forgetting how to live them.” This link between our self-esteem and our “online identity,” is very unstable; it can make us feel special, yet it can also make us feel empty and insecure.
The matter at hand is truly why have we become so obsessed with updating our statuses, scrolling through our timelines and posting selfies? The "social media effect" develops this false sense of self-esteem through the tool of followers, likes and comments as well as serving as an “esteem booster,” which explains why people in today’s generation spend so much time online to stay updated with how the “world,” may portray their “online identity.”
According to technology journalist, John Paul Titlow, in his article, “#Me,” he discusses the narcissistic behavior of people who use Instagram, “As you scroll through, you start to get the feeling that you’re peeking through a window of a world you’re not quite supposed to have access to. But mobile and social technology [has] given us millions of little windows into the worlds of others so we keep scrolling."
The more we tune in our online profiles to make sure the world knows what we are doing; the more we become disconnected from the real world and our true spirituality. Therefore, the more we become disconnected from the real world, the more reliant we become on social media for temporary “highs” of attention through likes or comment as we fall into the cycle of addiction.
Nonetheless, social media a very resourceful tool.. As long as we know how to utilize it in the most resourceful way.
Try: Use social media as ways that would aid in your self-improvement. Such as learning new recipes from cooking tutorials to workout routines, motivational quotes for work or life skills, the history of our past, etc... expand your mind as much as possible.
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