Is social media real life?
Much of the recent controversy over this subject came when social media star Essena O'Neill quit posting on Instagram, saying that it “is not real life.” She went through her account, deleted more than 2,000 photos, and changed the captions of the remaining photos to reveal what she went through to make that picture possible.
Obviously, to an extent, we distort reality on social media to make ourselves presentable and desirable. We try to come up with the wittiest caption for our prettiest photos. We delete the photos with the fewest likes or the ones we deem least appealing. We don’t post anything that doesn’t contribute to the particular image we want to convey.
These things I have noticed in myself and in those around me have provoked a few questions.
Where does the pressure come from to cause us to behave this way?
I don’t believe the pressure comes from anyone but our own self. I believe that we each create our own pressure, but we fall into the same cycle of comparison. We want to blame the girl that shows off her great body. We want to blame the guy that posts three fitness progress pictures a day. The truth is, we all have this need to be accepted, and we think all acceptances look the same.
Why do we make social media such a priority?
The Bible says:
"You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.” Exodus 20:3-4
Honestly, I have found myself, and those around me, bowing down to social media, “carving themselves” into the image by which they have become enslaved. It is very much and very presently an idol for many people. If God is not on the throne of your heart, you are inclined to put something there. As humans, we are inclined to latch onto something. So I dare you, ask yourself what is on the throne of your heart.
Finally, how does it cause me to define myself?
I have found my level of self-esteem being a direct result of likes, comments, and followers. Something I’ve noticed, however, is that no number of likes or followers can satisfy the way the freedom I’ve found in Christ can. As hard as it is to admit, I was only recently able to delete pictures that weren’t modest or glorifying to the Lord. Through that process I continually asked, “Why?” I was a slave to the image I had created for myself, and although I would never post the way I used to, I still hadn’t let go of that piece of me. I still wanted that image to get attention without having to live in it. Social media had not only become an idol, but the parts of me that received praise also became idols.
I don’t believe that anyone should be shocked that O’Neill was living in this image she had created for Instagram. No one should be surprised that she claimed social media “wasn’t real life.” I think we can all learn a few things from her.
This isn’t to say that it has to be your conviction to drop social media entirely, but guard the throne of your heart with the truth of your identity and root yourself in that.
