Sensationalism- not so sensational
“ sharing random thoughts, requests for advice and updates on personal relationships…an attempt to curate a particular image than an expression of a person’s actual beliefs and convictions… Social media “likes” and new followers provide us with public approval, but this need for constant sharing of ourselves — and the immediate gratification that comes with it — diminishes the meaning and significance in the things we share.”- Emerson Csorba
The internet has now become a new and improved Gilded Age. Social media feeds are plastered with cookie cutter emotional posts, travel photos and candid smiles only so that others can view, like and share their manufactured happiness. The “like” and “follow” feature develops a longing for acceptance from imperfect beings such as ourselves, making the importance of individuality almost non-existent. Is a picture really aesthetically pleasing if it is only on your camera roll? Do we need to know if others feel the same for it to have a purpose? We’ve lost the meaning of privacy and ingenuity for popularity. Moments in our lives where we are not in a picture-worthy environment becomes undesirable, and when we are in one, it loses its intimacy.
When all the gold is scratched off, underneath it lies sensationalism, “the use of exciting or shocking stories or language at the expense of accuracy, in order to provoke public interest or excitement.” Many post their “best” photos and videos, the ones where they smile the hardest, laugh the loudest and have a breath-taking background. In actuality, the emotion was on-purpose, but was captioned as “candid.” Even though a picture is worth a thousand words, that does not mean those words are the truth. In the long run, the poster misses out on a natural and personal experience and the viewer most likely feels terrible about their life.
