The internet is a glorious thing. Ever since its name was first uttered in 1982, as queens and presidents alike began to email, it has evolved into an entire world of its own that even us simple folk can access. Having online media outlets and social connectivity has allowed a global community to be created, one in which any of the six billion members of this planet can participate in (that is, if you are born in at least a second world country with the money and means and freedom to access a computer, which for most, will still be extremely censored, but all that's beside the point).
Now, we have progressed far from email, and some of the most influential and accessible avenues on the web are social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These are tried and true favorites of our generation. While our parents may try and claim Facebook as a site conceived for them and their college buddies to remember the glory days, it is easily arguable that we, the millennials, have set up all the social standards, expectations, and rules for social media. But its these very norms that we have created that bother me. It seems as though social media has become one massive high school and I for one refuse to attend.
1. The excessive and compulsive need to be "popular."
Everyone had "those kids" in high school that were thought to dominate the social scene. They only hung out with one another, they all had the same hair and clothes, they threw wild parties on the weekends. Yet somehow, for whatever reason, people kept trying to imitate their lives. Well social media seems to be no different. This invention of "likes" and "followers" has created an imaginary form of value and wealth. Suddenly our worth as a member in society is defined by little hearts and numbers. When did being a follower or having them become a good thing?
2. Fitting the part.
It's like social media is verifying all of the conformity and excessive shaming the media and marketing world has been drilling into us for years, but now there is a scaling system to see how well you're fitting the mold. The more likes, the more followers, the more you fit into the cookie-cutter society has made for us. And it is quite incredible what people do to get their worthless and imaginary pat on the back. Girls are passing bandanas for shirts and posing provocatively so some scummy guys they have never met will leave degrading comments on their posts, because all press is good right? Now don't get me wrong, I am all about having the freedom to do what you want with your body. But if we want to have the freedom to own and love our womanhood without judgement or violence, we first need to desexualize the human body and stop making people objects of lust. And you posting a video half-naked twerking is not helping.
3. The ever-changing rule book.
Accept it's only cool to use these four filters, collages are so 2011, make sure you spend at least an hour thinking of the perfect caption, and everyone knows it takes at least three tries for a good selfie, and you better not have an actual opinion on Facebook because that could be offensive.
Tell me I'm wrong. Really. Well my only comment is this: If I want to post a 20 picture collage for my friend's birthday of all these terrible but hilarious photos of us, than I am going to do it. I really don't care how many likes it gets, and I am not going to apologize for showing some love and appreciation for my homies. Oh, and yeah, I get political on Facebook. I've said it before and I will say it again: Social media could and should be used to make social change.
4. The playground bullies.
CoCo always seems to speak to my heart. We've all heard the lectures and watched the cheesy videos in school- online bullying is a thing. But its not always as obvious and extreme as those classroom lessons led us to believe. I cannot tell you how many people, girls and guys, I have heard insult and degrade others based on their social media pages. It can get harsh and gruesome, and though its behind doors that makes it no better. We are all guilty to some extent. We all use social media to "stalk" one another and pass judgments based on tweets and profile pictures. More times than not it seems that social media is promoting shallow ideals. It's time we remember to not judge a book by its cover or a person by their page and try to actually get to now one another. And remember, post whatever you want and don't worry about the haters. Odds are you'll never even meet half of them.
5. The filter debate.
On one hand, if I feel fly posing as a puppy or flower queen on snap chat- who are you to judge me or call me basic? On the other, why do we feel a compulsive need to filter ourselves and our lives when the real deal is pretty cool all by itself? Oh, and then we have the posts like, "No filter needed (winky face)," like the rest of us should feel ashamed and bow at your photography skills. So much confusion; there really is no winning.
I think the moral of this story is that social media is a wonderful, engaging, exciting tool that we can all use to stay connected, informed, and updated on our modern culture. But we must refrain from applying societies excessive regulations and norms on these platforms. The internet as a whole has endless possibilities. So let's all be kind and loving and friendly and the social activists we are meant to be to make this world a little brighter.
