From Selfie To Enslavement

Upon reading chapter 2, "Consumers and Social Well-Being", there was portion that really struck a chord with me: the actual well-being.

 Being a-okay. And not dependent.

At least, not on social media.

No you don't, Oliver. You literally just met her on Instagram.

For the past couple of years, I've noticed an increase in social media use by my peers. Once I became a marketing student, the picture became all to clear: the need of fulfillment. A desire to pour the sweet nectar of attention into the bottomless gap that you work so desperately to hide behind your Clarendon filter.

And you now what? Fulfillment comes in copious amounts and at break-neck speeds. 

Feeling down and blue? Post a selfie. Depending on your following, level of attractiveness, and overall relevance within the sphere of your personal social construct, you will receive an almost immediate wave of satisfaction.

Because where words and actions once reigned supreme, now stands the wall of digital love. Comments, likes, double-taps, screenshots... All here to feed your ego and satisfy your insecurities.

It sounds harsh, but the disconnect with the basic human instinct of live interaction is, in my opinion, alarming.

I know, Ollie. I know.

But amidst the reality check comes clarity. You realize that hey! I am a human and I need to be loved (I'm pretty sure that's a Morrissey lyric). And I can get that love through real-life! I can fulfill the desires of my ego through human interaction!

And you should!

There's nothing selfish about it. We all do it, myself included. I'm definitely guilty of it. It's human nature. I mean at least I think it is. I'm sure someone with a PhD can back me up on this. Consider a probable truth.

Buy an outfit or a piece of clothing and don't think about the selfie you'll need to take because of it.

I am not bashing the human ego, our pride, or our insecurities. I am stating my belief in how ridiculous it is that we now take care of those things through an addiction to a machine.

I implore you, the reader, to break free from the chains of social media. Shatter the obsession. Validate yourself without waiting for likes, butif you have to, do it with other people. Recognize that those same individuals, flesh and blood, are all around you. Engage them. Talk to them. Make friends. Make enemies. Interact and realize how gifted you are with life, and how beautiful it can be without a platform from which you mount the best of yourself upon and wait for the soundless claps and faceless smiles that acknowledge your existence. 

/End rant.