If Social Media Is For Idiots Then Call Me Stupid
Slowly but surely, social media is becoming an important aspect of almost everyone’s lives, kids and OAPs alike. The notion that it is mind-numbing and, despite what its name may suggest, anti-social, is slowly becoming moot. Whether you like it or not, social media is here to stay.
I am not going to argue that social media isn’t for idiots. Just like many others, I too feel contempt for those ‘Instagram famous’ models and ‘athletes’ that earn their living by simply posting pictures of them wearing the latest GymShark tank top whilst sipping on their protein shake, using the perfect filter to accentuate their muscle definition. However, these ‘idiots’ are making money. These idiots are a prime example of how embedded social media is in our society now. They may be lacking considerable brain cells, but they are using the brain cells they do have to exploit social media as a platform to earn a living, which is abashedly commendable.
But social media’s not just useful as a business tool. For many people, like myself, social media is their primary source of news stories. Why wait until 6pm to watch the news on TV or walk ALL that way to your local corner shop to buy a newspaper when you can simply unlock your iPhone, open Twitter, and scroll down to read the latest stories as they happen, for free?
Perhaps worse than the ‘Instagram famous’ bunch previously mentioned, there are those that seem to think they’re famous, despite boasting an average number of followers at best. Please stop uploading weekly photos of yourself and ‘the squad’ to Instagram, donning the same pose, altering the caption each week by one emoji. I don’t care, and I doubt most of your followers care either. Post what you like, but please mix it up, and if you’re going to do it, you might as well reveal the truth in your caption: ‘Another picture of me, meticulously selected to portray the best possible looking version of myself in an attempt to receive as many likes as possible in order to boost my self esteem and see if that girl/guy likes it.’
Social media does offer a good space for self-expression, despite being misused by the irritable lot mentioned above. For the more reserved, platforms such as Twitter offer an outlet in which you can express thoughts you may not have the opportunity to in ‘the real world’. Some may question the point in tweeting or posting general thoughts that the majority of people will most likely ignore. However, there’s a certain sense of freedom that comes with tweeting something that you just feel the need to say. It is this freedom that makes social media so popular, and why shouldn’t it?
A slightly different version of social media, but equally as criticised: YouTube. I agree, if you’re watching YouTube videos all day long with no exposure to the outside world then you’re probably losing touch with reality. But why blame this on YouTube? It baffles me when I hear people criticising social platforms such as YouTube for its consumption of the younger generation, rather than the young people themselves. If you want to watch YouTube videos, watch YouTube videos. If you want to watch them all day long, fine. Just be aware of its impacts. Despite many people’s perceptions of the platform, YouTube has now evolved beyond simply a site to upload ridiculous clips of people and animals doing crazy things for laughs. YouTube is a genuinely helpful place to watch videos to learn AND laugh.
So before you begin criticising those famous YouTubers or Instagram famous models who attract millions of views and likes, stop to think: are they the idiots or am I? After all, you could do the same thing, right? Well what are you waiting for, there’s money to be made.
Just remember, if you’re ever made to feel like an idiot for your use of social media, we’re all in this together: we’re all idiots.
With thanks to Rebecca Stovell
