- #WOKE: Social Media Trying to Create Value for our Lifestyles and be Conscious of our “Self-Worth”
Dating back to the days where I first started using MSN Messenger until today where I use Twitter, Facebook and Instagram daily, my perception of social media and the role that it plays in my life has changed drastically. When using MSN it was simply to chat with friends once we all got back home from school but now social media has the capability of depicting and dissecting a person’s life. What do they like to do? Are they in a relationship? What kind of lifestyle are they living? And so on.
The way we believe we are being perceived by others has managed to add value to our self-worth and this has changed what we believe adds value to our self worth. By that I mean we post what we believe will make us look “cool” and what will make us feel socially accepted. I am definitely a victim of this but at the same time does that not go with fitting in? I catch myself thinking at times. Who am I trying to impress? What does this bring to my life? I know that once I post that Instagram picture that gets 250+ likes and 15 comments, two days later nobody will care and everyone would have moved on. That has without a doubt a negative effect on my well being, self-esteem and the way I carry myself at times. But somehow I keep going back to it.
For those 18 hours people are constantly liking and commenting on this picture I may feel like I have accomplished something. Feel some sort of self worth, like I am appreciated by society. To be fully honest it is sad that this happens and that is what our generation is idolizing as being popular, hip and cool.
However, there is a difference between valuing your social media presence and posting aimlessly to your audience which would have some negative societal consequences. In today’s world, having a politically correct social media presence on all platforms is of great value when it comes to getting employed and maintaining a respectable reputation. If people see that you post relevant, thought out and intelligent, this will gain traction and add value to your posts.
By carelessly valuing social media metrics, this will have a negative effect on your reputation and you will have zero credibility which will then translate to a poor viewing from your employer if it depends on it.
I believe that our generation as millennials are the first to be so heavily influenced by the social media movement. But it would be the following generation that I would be concerned about because at least we as millennials have had the taste of both worlds. Some more than others. But the next generation is completely overwhelmed by the social media wave and are fully engulfed. They know nothing else and I believe this will make them unaware of their surroundings, especially what is going on in the world. Yes, you can claim that we are more “connected” than ever but I would argue that we are more closed minded than ever.
Our social media feeds cater to what we want to see as opposed to what we should be seeing. Therefore this forbids us of seeing alternate perspectives and opening our eyes to what goes on where social media is not readily available. There are natural disasters, mass killings, famine and crises that go on in the world but go unnoticed because we are worries about what Kylie Jenner wants to name her baby. Social media has it’s pros and has it’s place without a doubt in our society but the way we choose to utilize it can change for the betterment of our society.
