Why Does Social Media Make me Feel so Lonely?
To start off, let us examine what social media means and how it should really be used. Social media are websites and applications that allow individuals to make or share content to participate in social networking. However, these social media outlets that are created for the purpose of
sharing ideas, pictures, and videos turned into a desire for individuals to crave acceptance towards others. Karl Marx, a philosopher and theorist stressed the importance of the concept of being social. On Instagram, individuals feed off of comments and likes. On Youtube, it all depends on views and ratings, so the more views one has the better. It’s all about being twitter famous nowadays so the more favorites and retweets you have, the more known you will be. So why are all these social media outlets labeled “social” if it makes me feel so lonely?
First off, all of these applications are at the touch of your fingertips. You do not have to talk to anyone face-to-face. You can post a picture or video and never have to see anyone.
Second, these platforms like Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter thrive off of the amount of attention you are able to receive. However, you can post whatever you want. You can be posting a picture of your fitness outfit but never worked out a day in your life. You can post that you are having so much fun with your friend but be lying in your bed by yourself. You can post whatever you want people to see but is that really your true self?
Third, the way individuals may perceive you online can be totally different from how they see you in real life. There are numerous picture apps where you can drastically “fix” your picture. There are even apps where you can get rid of any blemishes or make feature of your face and body smaller or bigger.
There are so many articles and reports of Youtube users reporting to be depressed. Many individuals that post videos are completely different when they turn off the camera. The bubbly loud personalities seen in videos are actually quiet and shy in real life. When you create videos, you are alone in your house with no one around so you can be whoever you want to be.
Social media has blown out of proportion. Why are these “social” medias outlets deemed social if they leave people feeling so lonely? We have taken the amount of likes, favorites, and comments too seriously and caused many of us to rely on numbers for our happiness.
