What do we do in a four-dimensional society? A surreal world in which we choose to endeavour every single day? A world which sparks an existence beyond the physical realm. A cryptic platform of escapism which we get lost in. So lost in, we lose ourselves, our grasp on reality and our precious time.
Why of course I am referring to social media. A prevailing epidemic in our modern-day society. Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat have all synthesized to form an abstract entity. An entity which lives, breathes and latches on to our very existence. We feel immersed by a pressing sense of obligation to update each moment of our lives on these social platforms. There is always a need to feed the ego of your alternative electronic existence and appease the eyes of thousands of spectators. I believe that the toxic nature of social media is the concept of its blissful ignorance and the abundance of false pretences it brings about. It is merely a construct which serves a purpose of showcasing everybody’s ‘perfect’ lives. An alternative existence which shows you as having no problems, no insecurities, stress or anxiety. Just Bliss. Ignorant Bliss.
No-one is real. Every picture has been re-edited. There are seven different versions of the same picture. Every message, tweet or text has been reread or retyped to satisfaction. This is no free world, and no means of true escapism. The only escapism served is the escape of living every moment. Escaping from your true being. It is an escape from precious quality time; moments with your family, with your friends. An escape from existing.
It goes without saying that social media and technology are extremely beneficial to our modern lives. They enable bridges to be built all over the world and allows us to showcase all that we’ve achieved. We can share moments and prove to others the greatness of our own lives, the fact we have places to go and the money to buy new things. But what happens to the person behind the screen? The real person; who has real stress, real insecurities, real problems. Unfortunately the danger posed by social media and this new world are the implications left concerning real people — those who sit behind the screen, feeling insecure, with unobtainable expectations of what their life should be like.
The worst part is that everyone is under the same false pretence. All believing that we are missing out. That we have not got the correct means to achieve perfect happiness like everyone else we see online — such as the girl with the prettier face than us; the one who got 300 likes on all her pictures. Or even the guy who goes out all the time, the one who always gets invited to parties that somehow we never do.
At the end of the day, none of these are prerequisites for happiness. We must stay grounded, and open our eyes to the deceit which comes with social media. Try not to lose ourselves to it. Stay grounded, confident, assured and most of all, real.
