Socality Barbie — The Authenticity Master
Striving to be “Real” Online
Do you ever catch yourself envious of people on Instagram? Like, when you see them sunbathing on a pristine beach, camping under a sky full of stars, or boating down the Amazon?
Oh my god, do you ever wish that you could live that life? Or even do just one of those fun things?
Well, I’ve got some bad news… There’s someone out there who’s done it all.
It’s Barbie.
Set the table, and get ready to eat your heart out.
Socality Barbie’s (what a cool name) story is fascinating, and not just because she’s got it all. Her Instagram account essentially steals the narrative we’ve been taught us to understand so intuitively: stories of the beautiful and indulgent; the traveling rich; the everyday beautiful-but-didn’t-you-know-I’m-not-even-wearing-makeup models; the hipsters and their endlessly brewing coffee.
Socality Barbie takes from the stories of each of those (annoyingly successful and effortlessly beautiful) people — the stories that we oftentimes find ourselves doubting the veracity of, because how could one group of people have so much fun ?— and repackages them into one singular feed chock-full of stunning imagery worthy of a high rising terminal. Is it homage, however? Or satire?
So if you find yourself recognizing any of Socality Barbie’s pictures as familiar, she just may have proved a point. And with over one million followers, Sociality Barbie (aka Hipster Barbie) is a certified Instagram influencer in her (it’s?) own right. In fact, she’s positively blown past those whom she mimics.
What’s funny about this is that her Instagram page is no different from that of any other Instagrammer; Barbie is pictured among the same exotic scenery and beautiful nature that every Instagram celebrity seems to be surrounded by 24/7, complete with flawless makeup. Each photo is captioned with something inspirational, just like so many other Instagram bloggers.
So what’s the story here?
I think it’s that Socality Barbie has proved that she doesn’t need to be real. She’s fake, and she’s better for it. The fact that she’s a doll — that she’s a fictional persona — holds a startling mirror to our approach to social media. How many of us are out there pretending to be something we’re not, and using isolated, curated snapshots to achieve this?
That’s what marks this particular story as different to our previous Woven posts; while there are actors out there pretending and representing themselves as real, Socality Barbie loves how fake she is. The blatantly fictional aspect of this character’s public persona is the most important part of who she is, both to herself, and to us.
Socality Barbie’s creator, Darby, never thought her doll would capture such an incredible following. The account was, according to her, created to ‘poke fun of all the Instagram trends’ she thought were silly.
Little did Darby suspect that the pairing of her beautiful Insta-shots with the doll face of this doll would birth a narrative that would span years.
And just as suddenly as she was born, Socality Barbie’s social life ended when Darby shut down the account in Summer, 2015. “SB’s work is done” she said. What work was that? Check out the following from Darby herself:
Beyond the photos, it looks like Darby’s (Barbie’s) message resonated with her audience such a profound way that it provoked some deep introspection. Isn’t it amazing that an inanimate, lifeless character— essentially a still-life marionette — can provoke such a human response from each of us?
There’s something genuine sad about seeing this story come to an end. I’ll miss Barbie’s take on photography, and the amusing commentary that went with it. More than that, this fake hipster (aren’t they all?) evoked some deep thinking in myself as well.
Would Darby’s message have been as powerful if she used her own face instead of Barbie’s?
Perhaps not. It’s more likely that by using Barbie as a spokesperson, Darby was able to separate herself from the millions of bloggers already on the internet. This was the unique edge that netted her an extraordinary number followers, and thus a huge audience for her message. Timing also likely played a big role — Instagram had grown just big enough that many people using it feel jaded by it’s lack of authenticity.
It also made me think “just what does it mean to have a curated online identity, separate in oh-so subtle ways from the real me. We can agree that it’s now almost impossible to completely separate ourselves from who we are online. Likewise, it’s definitely impossible to represent our real lives accurately in a series of small bites on social media. It’s the opposite of the “camera adding 15 pounds” phenomenon — social media and the curated image it portrays of us can be used as an enhancer of persona. Of course, however, Socality Darby — through Socality Barbie, in her new role as social commentator — reminds us that a perfect life in front of the camera does not truly exist.
All in all, pretty impressive for a person taking pictures of a doll, don’t you think?
Do you know of any other fictional character — explicitly fake or not—living out a life on social media? How do you think the relationship between our real lives and our curated personas on social media will evolve? Let us know in the responses section; we’d love to hear from you!
Enjoy!
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