Let’s be honest, when it comes to social media, a specific group find themselves constantly under fire - the youths. Be it about the time youths spend online or how they ‘don’t know what proper English is from all that texting’, everyone has something to say. As part of the aforementioned group of youths, I’m not going to lie, I’m a huge fan of social media. I love how it connects people, the random bits of information that go viral in a matter of hours and how communities are built around the strangest things you can imagine in social media. Of course we can’t forget what a godsend Twitter is when you’re stuck waiting at the bus stop. That being said, while social media has undisputedly changed the way we socialise, it’s not necessarily in a good way. With a social media penetration rate at 77%, Singapore far exceeds the global average of 37%, resulting in evident distortion of peer socialisation especially among youths.
THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER STRIKES AGAIN
Living in one of the world’s richest cities, we are constantly chasing after material wants, be it latest technological gadgets or the newest Vans sneakers. Social media has amplified this pursuit, facilitating unhealthy social comparison especially among youths who engage in a never-ending materialistic competition on social media (TODAYonline, 2016). Studies reveal that students tend to feel more inferior as compared to their peers due to heightened exposure to unrealistic lifestyles depicted in social media, highlighting the negative impact of social media on youths’ mental wellbeing.
THE TRUTH BEHIND THE SCREEN
Particularly worthy of note is the rise of influencers - exceptionally popular social media users paid to advertise products. The influence of these users distorts peer socialisation - a false sense of competition is created as users try to outdo each other in achieving false ideals created by pictures of lavish places or extravagant experiences posted by influencers. How many times have you found yourself sighing in envy over idyllic getaway pictures on Rachell Tan (@pxdkitty)’s Instagram? Don’t bother lying; you know we all do it. What we often don’t realise is that these pictures don’t necessarily show the reality of their lives; the glamorous lifestyle they seem to lead can be easily engineered by clever photography and editing. These people, more often than not, lead average lives just like me or you.
BUT FIRST, LET ME TAKE A SELFIE
Remember all the embarrassing things you did when you were 15 years old? That awful haircut you thought was the epitome of coolness? Now imagine you had to go through all that but risk having every single moment documented on social media. That’s a pretty horrifying thought, right? Youths are especially vulnerable as they are in a developmental stage of their lives where they tend to be insecure in their individuality and seek to solidify their sense of self. Youths’ insecurities can be exponentially magnified by social media due to its focus on living a ‘picture-perfect’ life. The pressures of these experiences are amplified as missteps made risk being put on social media and youths becoming the object of ridicule for extended periods and by a much larger audience than before.
Moreover, this paradoxically encourages the growth of a narcissist society which values the worth of experiences by how many likes it can get on social media, distorting peer interactions (Fishwick, 2016). Youths try to gain as many likes as possible by putting their whole life online, from the sandwich they had for lunch to arguments with their loved ones. OOTD (outfit of the day) photos are posted to gain affirmation from peers. Even the evolution of social media platforms shows the trend towards an increasingly narcissist society as we move from Facebook where users build a peer network of friends to Instagram and Twitter where users collect followers instead, denoting unequal peer power dynamics. The increasing emphasis on social media as a gauge of a person’s worth deforms youths’ self esteems and creates a narcissist society through its implicit focus on standing out and measuring popularity with arbitrary value systems.
BY PEOPLE, FOR PEOPLE
While social media has infinite potential to contribute to mankind’s progress, let’s not forget ultimately social media was created by and for people. Love it or hate it, social media’s here to stay. Don’t let it control you but rather, make use of it to edify your life. Instead of just liking your friend’s Instagram post, why not drop them a message and ask them out for lunch? Every once in a while, remind yourself to put down your phone and appreciate reality instead of constantly trying to capture the perfect ‘Insta-worthy’ moment or coming up with witty Tweets. After all, what is the point of experiencing the best parts of life through a phone screen?
Reference List:
Fishwick, C. (2016). I, Narcissist – Vanity, Social Media, and the Human Condition. The Guardian. Retrieved 20 February 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/17/i-narcissist-vanity-social-media-and-the-human-condition
Todayonline. (2016). Is
access to social networks harming our children?. Retrieved from http://www.todayonline.com/commentary/access-social-networks-harming-our-children
No comments:
Post a Comment