Honesty has been regarded, by many, in the same way as modern day chivalry- dead. Not necessarily in the conventional sense- lying to your friends or parents to hide something or trying to cover something up so that you won't get in trouble- no. Lying in this sense has to do with social media. Social media is talked about as a fabulously cliche topic in today's world. Everyone is tired of hearing about it because everybody is afraid to be exposed. The more it's talked about, the closer we get to the truth behind the faces in pictures you scroll past every day.
Social media has created endless platforms for people to create the person they want to be, or the person they wish people to see them as. The majority of platforms are dominated by the younger generations, and they are all going through a stage in life where insecurity is a norm. Due to this theme, people will create a facade. Everything is edited, candor is a rarity. This is because social media is not the only invention that allows it's users to mask their true selves. Along with social media, a plethora of applications have been created to aid the people in concealing their flaws and upholding their mystique.
It's simple- anybody can create a new persona from who they are. A simple swipe and your teeth are whiter than they were, a little pinch and your waist is smaller, a tap and your blemishes flee. Your whiter teeth shown in the smile that shows you're having the best time with your best friends in the picture that you retook four times because you just didn't fit your own standards.
Nothing is genuine. Even the candids are posed, even your friendships aren't perfect, but no one can know that because everybody else's seems to be. Social media is based around the idea that your life has to seem pristine to everyone else, because God forbid people know you have some boring days, some days where you're not in an aesthetic environment looking your best, as long as your picture is better than that girl's you compare yourself to. It's essential to get that snapshot of the one moment that you were happy at that party you didn't want to go to, just so people know you were there.
As long as social media continues to exist, our internet personalities will continue to develop and will continue to compete with our ideals. That picture you posted a year ago that you thought you looked great in is somehow now inadequate. You will never be enough for yourself because society doesn't allow you to be, you don't allow you to be. Regardless of how badly you want to be okay with who you are, something will always be able to be improved because we are so aware of the fact that we can be whoever we want to be, as long as it's shown virtually.
