#WOKE: When I Was 13, When She Was 13.
When I was 13 years old, I had a tamogotchi and Webkinz. Today, 13 year olds have, well…Instagram. Obviously due to the fact that cell phones are much more advanced now, than when I was 13, and the fact that everyone has one. This is also due to the constant need for reassurance in our friendships, our bodies, our beauty and our “like”able-ness, all to be confirmed over social media.
Social media metrics such as, activity, conversion, engagement, etc. help us to achieve our goals of Instagram confidence, that is, if you receive the amount of “likes”, “comments” and engagements with other users, you were hoping to. Every person using social media is different, some consumers use the device to make money, posting advertisements for different companies, recieving funds in exchange for how many people follow their Instagram, how many of their followers buy the product their advertising, etc. Ah, the beauty of engagement. Other users on Instagram can be identified as what I like to call, the “viewer(s)”. This is someone who has downloaded the device simply see what it is their family is up to, also known as my Grandma.
Finally there are the rest of us, and very much the growing generation of teenagers. We are the generation seeking encouragement from strangers, who tell us we are pretty, sexy, jacked, etc. Our generation uses social media metrics to define our value. Which in reality, is heartbreaking. If we don’t recieve over 100 likes on our bikini pic, we are automatically ugly, fat, worthless. All because our engagement on social media was lower than the Victoria Secret model on our Explore page.
These social media metrics ultimately are ruining our understanding of value and self worth. When I was 13, self worth was determined on your heart. If you shared your toys with a friend on the playground, how many friends you had and if you got invited to Danielle’s slumber party. Now, 13 year olds surround themselves with people they may not even truly like, but because that girl has 1000 followers on Instagram, you only have 700 and you’re hoping that she will tag you in her Instagram picture so you can gain more followers based off of hers. Does this not sound wrong????
The societal consequences of carelessly valuing social media metrics could be as bad as destroying our generations total self confidence. In themselves, in each other, and who we will grow up to be. Take it from someone who’s 13 year old sister has struggled with the never ending need for reassurance from society that she isn’t fat and posting pictures to see how many likes she gets, then basing her body worth off of how many people comment about it and compliment her. Not enough likes? Delete the photo. The infinite cycle of needing something more, wanting to be something more.
The idea of self worth should be based on who you are as a human being, not your appearance and how many people think you’re “beautiful” (over Instagram that is). Social media metrics, can be used for good, this is true. However, for the group of consumers using Instagram right at this very moment, metrics can be deadly and degrade your self worth in time it takes to double tap.
