The reflection that's better than you
"Never in the history of mankind has there been such extensive and elaborate documentation of nothingness"
I was texting a friend the other day and in the course of our conversation,he said this to me,referring to present day social media.I instantly starred the message,my brain having seen the potential of using this perfectly worded sentence as a good opening line to an article:D
Disclaimer:I'm not saying whatever I say in this article perched on some high pedestal of perfection.Although I don't have a presence on social media,I still am influenced by the current trends,more so than I'd like to admit.
Which would you rather have,a good life or everyone thinking you have a good life? A few decades ago,the answer would have been unanimous.It still teeters close to unanimity,only the option has changed now.Most people would choose to have their lives seen as perfect.
If you asked me to introspect on this,I wouldn't attribute it entirely to social media.It's something that's innate and has found better expression with these newfound channels.It's just that the expression has become monumentally huge now.
Years ago,I followed an enthusiastic YouTuber whose channel would abound with followers and comments.She had a very vibrant personality that made you feel personally connected to her.She also had a very good sense of style and aesthetics.As a result,every one of her videos used to look immaculately perfect.The morning-routines,the day-in-my-life,the lookbooks,all of it.She made every single aspect of life that was supposed to be boring look amazingly interesting.I now see why she had so many followers--most people loved that someone's life could be perfect if not theirs.If I were to put it more crudely,we were living vicariously through her:P
Yet,I did not see the distinction then.I really believed that her life was what she portrayed it to be.Till one day,she did a very commendable thing.She put up a video titled something like the truth about my life ,in which she explained that her real life was not perfect.She told people that all these videos involved significant effort that made them look as good as they were.That they shouldn't compare their lives with this on-screen illusion.This was a huge eye-opener for me.
In today's world,this is something that we all experience.We're constantly exposed to other people's weekends,their exotic trips or even their oh-so-perfect-day-at-home.And several times,we ourselves may be having an ordinary day.Which can lead you through this vicious cycle of feeling bad for yourself,moping around doing nothing all day,seeing more pictures on the net about someone's wonderful day and again get depressed over how you did nothing all day.
The alternative is to make your life look as good as everyone else's.You strive to get those pictures right.Post them online.Get the validation you crave in the form of likes and comments.Feel good about everything.But is your life actually getting better? No.It still is the same.
It's hard to stay silent in this age of pictures because your silence may be mistaken to mean that you're miserable.You can't have people think that.Oh,no.Never!
What the hell are we doing? Why are we posting pictures of every random thing in our lives? If we don't like our lives,wouldn't it be better to actually change whatever it is that we dislike? Or has that option gone out the window--is it just enough to have a picture-perfect life? I don't know the answers--I just don't like where this seems to be heading!
One:I'm using Blogger,which is a social media site,to crib about social media.Two:The inspiration for this article came from a Whatsapp message:D I can never fail to appreciate irony,even when it's against me:P
Quote credit: Rakshit Ramesh
P.S:One of those short films that portrays everything I tried to say with remarkable clarity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXdVPLj_pIk
P.P.S:There are studies that say people hate those who post too many photos on social media sites.
If you're one of these,beware.One day,you'll be friendless and followerless:D I kid! Relax.
But yeah,these are some of the articles I went through before writing this:
http://www.popphoto.com/news/2013/08/science-confirms-posting-too-many-photos-to-facebook-makes-people-hate-you
https://thepointsguy.com/2016/08/our-love-hate-relationship-with-people-who-share-vacation-photos/
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/beware-of-people-who-always-post-selfies-on-facebook-2015-07-16
I was texting a friend the other day and in the course of our conversation,he said this to me,referring to present day social media.I instantly starred the message,my brain having seen the potential of using this perfectly worded sentence as a good opening line to an article:D
Disclaimer:I'm not saying whatever I say in this article perched on some high pedestal of perfection.Although I don't have a presence on social media,I still am influenced by the current trends,more so than I'd like to admit.
Which would you rather have,a good life or everyone thinking you have a good life? A few decades ago,the answer would have been unanimous.It still teeters close to unanimity,only the option has changed now.Most people would choose to have their lives seen as perfect.
If you asked me to introspect on this,I wouldn't attribute it entirely to social media.It's something that's innate and has found better expression with these newfound channels.It's just that the expression has become monumentally huge now.
Years ago,I followed an enthusiastic YouTuber whose channel would abound with followers and comments.She had a very vibrant personality that made you feel personally connected to her.She also had a very good sense of style and aesthetics.As a result,every one of her videos used to look immaculately perfect.The morning-routines,the day-in-my-life,the lookbooks,all of it.She made every single aspect of life that was supposed to be boring look amazingly interesting.I now see why she had so many followers--most people loved that someone's life could be perfect if not theirs.If I were to put it more crudely,we were living vicariously through her:P
Yet,I did not see the distinction then.I really believed that her life was what she portrayed it to be.Till one day,she did a very commendable thing.She put up a video titled something like the truth about my life ,in which she explained that her real life was not perfect.She told people that all these videos involved significant effort that made them look as good as they were.That they shouldn't compare their lives with this on-screen illusion.This was a huge eye-opener for me.
In today's world,this is something that we all experience.We're constantly exposed to other people's weekends,their exotic trips or even their oh-so-perfect-day-at-home.And several times,we ourselves may be having an ordinary day.Which can lead you through this vicious cycle of feeling bad for yourself,moping around doing nothing all day,seeing more pictures on the net about someone's wonderful day and again get depressed over how you did nothing all day.
The alternative is to make your life look as good as everyone else's.You strive to get those pictures right.Post them online.Get the validation you crave in the form of likes and comments.Feel good about everything.But is your life actually getting better? No.It still is the same.
It's hard to stay silent in this age of pictures because your silence may be mistaken to mean that you're miserable.You can't have people think that.Oh,no.Never!
What the hell are we doing? Why are we posting pictures of every random thing in our lives? If we don't like our lives,wouldn't it be better to actually change whatever it is that we dislike? Or has that option gone out the window--is it just enough to have a picture-perfect life? I don't know the answers--I just don't like where this seems to be heading!
One:I'm using Blogger,which is a social media site,to crib about social media.Two:The inspiration for this article came from a Whatsapp message:D I can never fail to appreciate irony,even when it's against me:P
Quote credit: Rakshit Ramesh
P.S:One of those short films that portrays everything I tried to say with remarkable clarity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXdVPLj_pIk
P.P.S:There are studies that say people hate those who post too many photos on social media sites.
If you're one of these,beware.One day,you'll be friendless and followerless:D I kid! Relax.
But yeah,these are some of the articles I went through before writing this:
http://www.popphoto.com/news/2013/08/science-confirms-posting-too-many-photos-to-facebook-makes-people-hate-you
https://thepointsguy.com/2016/08/our-love-hate-relationship-with-people-who-share-vacation-photos/
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/beware-of-people-who-always-post-selfies-on-facebook-2015-07-16
I knew that quote was him before I read the credits :p I dunno how but I just did :p
ReplyDelete:D Strange are the workings of the mind :P
DeleteLoool. I shed a tear. I'm honored peeps. Thanks :)
DeleteYou're welcome! :)
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