Live, Laugh, Likes
#WOKE: As a social media consumer with accounts on various mediums, I have always been aware of metrics and how they affect when and what is posted. There are many times that I view a post on Instagram shared earlier in the day, that is later deleted and reposted with the hopes of increasing the amount of likes it receives. This example, although minor, is one of many ways in which social media metrics directly influences the self-worth of various users.
It seems that majority of our self-worth is superficially influenced by the way we are perceived online. If we post a picture we think portrays us in an attractive and appealing way, but do not receive the amount of likes we had hoped for, it is common to second guess our appearances, likeability and overall presence online.
Although I am ashamed to admit it, there have been times that I have wondered what I, as an individual and user, need to change to increase the amount of likes my posts or tweets receive. It is almost as if social media metrics develop into a personal influence that directly impacts not only our self-worth, but our thoughts, intent and individuality. We feel that because our posts were initially unsuccessful online, we must change who we are and how we look to try and level out this lost sense of pride with our next post; ultimately muddling our true personalities and authenticity. It is because of this cookie cutter type mold that is adopted online that, by extension, our understanding of value does not relate to the type of person we are offline, but rather how we are portrayed to be online; it becomes very superficial and reliant on external factors.
This disturbed understanding of value also directly relates to a scene from “Nosedive” an episode in the Black Mirror series. This short clip attempts to examine the extreme highs and lows we experience as users that are dependent on positive reactions to our content. Lacie, (the main character) adapts to the needs and wants of her followers in order to experience the instant gratification that comes with people liking her profile/posts. Similar to many social media users, Lacie sacrifices her originality and personal values in order to fit into the societal mold that social media deems as acceptable.
A visual representation of the ways in which social media responses affect our self-worth is applied in this image entitled “Nobody Likes Me”.
This Canadian artist’s graffiti, although dramatic in nature, correlates to the previously discussed loss of self-worth upon receiving particularly low social media metrics on a post. Additionally, as a result of this distorted sense of value and self-worth, we become solely dependent on the opinions of other to boost our individual sense of morale and confidence.
Lastly, the societal consequences of carelessly valuing social media metrics, in my opinion, is frightening. As viewed in this second video clip from “Nosedive”, we become engulfed in routine conversations, or online interactions that are transparent and frankly unrewarding. Instead of embracing our own individuality and aspects of ourselves that make us unique, we become consumed by trends and content that are predicted to boost our online appeal. In many cases, as displayed by Lacie, we become “people pleasers” who solely exist to receive others approval, instead of truly valuing ourselves first.
An additional societal consequence of carelessly valuing social media metrics is creating a fantasy lifestyle online, without actually be intrinsically happy. Whether this sense of artificial happiness is developed by sharing the perfect couple photo that seems to exude love or a post about your designer clothing to portray success, the reliance on social media metrics as a form of self-satisfaction is a toxic and vicious cycle.
In the end, I want my life to be measured by my genuine happiness outside of social media, not by the number of likes or followers I receive per post.
