No, You Don’t Have to Share Your Personal Life On Social Media

By Iris Stigell

Living in the day and age of social media, AI, cell phones, computers, ipads, iphones, and screens essentially anywhere we go, can feel very overwhelming, suffocating, and sometimes invading. We might stop and question; am I ever sharing too much?

The irony of today’s lack of privacy and indifference to ‘mind your own business’ is that technology, be it cell phones, computers, or television used to be considered a luxury. These things were something that every kid was so excited to get their hands on, eagerly waiting for the school day to end so that they could come home and watch their favorite cartoon, or play their favorite Mario level. But now, it’s as if stepping away from screens, and being given a break from all that social media represents: popularity, acceptance, and relevance, has become the new ultimate luxury.

Are we starting to pay more to have less?

With ‘wifi-free’ cafes, and ‘off-the-grid’ zen retreats becoming more and more the hype, what exactly is it that we are all so desperately looking for? If zen today represents privacy, why don’t we just simply delete the accounts, turn off the phones, and get on with our lives?

All Consuming affair

Seemingly, the answer is not so simple. Social media is a big part of our day to day lives, and for many of us, a part of our livelihood. With influencing, advertising, buying, selling, and curating all taking place on our social media accounts, the line between productivity and overkill starts to blur… Do our followers really need to know what we ate for breakfast today, or what mask I used last night, or what I plan on buying at the grocery store later today?

It’s Relatable

We can all admit that we have a go to influencer, that we may or may not go a little fangirl for… Be it gorgeous Swedish model and entrepreneur, Matilda Djerf, or perhaps it’s previous Love Island star and newly confirmed mother, Molly Mae. Whoever it may be for you, there seems to be a quality that all these influencers have in common; relatability. We all, as human beings, are attracted to the concept of community. The idea of fitting in, and feeling as if we have people around us who we can understand, and who understand us. If an influencer is able to do that, they win us over. But the essential quality they also need to possess, which isn’t as often talked about, is a sense of superiority. Without this, we wouldn’t have anything to look up to, therefore destroying the illusion of an ‘idol’. 

Perfect lives?

All this to say, we all seem to enjoy putting ourselves into the shoes of influencers, promoting our lives and creating the perception, be it true or not, that our lives are something to be awed over and appreciated by our followers. We want our friends to know that we had a really good day, that we did many fun things, and did them with the most fun people. We want to feel like we fit in. Although this aim may seem harmless, and somewhat sweet, it’s been proven over the years that this obsessive need to cater for others can be toxic and harmful to our mental health. 

Unlike the app itself, we can’t just logout and be rid of these feelings of not being enough, or feeling less than. These compulsive needs seem to follow us into our daily lives, to a point where we lose the understanding of privacy, and what it means to keep a healthy distance between your actual life and your screen.