- When people post edited versions of their lives on social media, are they being "fake" and "superficial", or are they wrestling with something much deeper? i.e. Madison's story
- Is it necessarily a bad thing that we choose to post the highlights of our lives on social media? Does that really make one boastful? In a world where were we beat up on ourselves and on each other, is posting our highlights such a harmful thing?
- What about the people who choose to post all the negative things that happen in their lives? Are they being "true" people because they are more open?...or something else?
- Is it fair to assume that users of Facebook are "fake"? Is it fair to judge people for what they feel comfortable sharing about their lives online?
- As Branelle and Kirsten share in their blog posts, some things are meant to be celebrated and some things may be better off private. I do love to post updates and pictures of our family, but, for example, I wouldn't post a play-by-play of a disagreement I have with my husband. There are certain things that people prefer to keep private. Are people neglecting to reveal their whole "identity" because they choose to leave some things off of social media?
- As one of our readings suggests, "the antidote to comparison tends to be gratitude". Do you agree? If one is feeling down after looking at Facebook, do they lack gratitude?
The influence of our digital connections on "identity" in a mediated world has given me a lot to reflect on this past week. The heart-wrenching story of Madison Holleran was a tough read. I found myself easily able to relate to her experiences in her first year of university. I, too, was very unhappy during my first year of university (seventeen, away from my family for the first time, going from small town to big city, etc). I am glad I made the decision to come to the University of Regina for my second year, where I felt connected and continue to feel connected to this day.
Madison's story examines the pressure she felt to display a perfect (filtered) life on the outside, while she struggled with the unfiltered realities of her life on the inside (in order to coincide with what she perceived to be the reality of others). The article highlights Madison's use of Instagram and Facebook accounts and points out that "everyone presents an edited version of life on social media." For the most part, I believe that to be true. That being said, I think most people present an edited version of their life off of social media as well. As the article states, "hundreds of years ago, we sent letters by horseback, containing only what we wanted the recipient to read. Fifty years ago, we spoke via the telephone, sharing only the details that constructed the self we wanted reflected." I think this is something we need to remain cognizant of when we examine these types of stories, as many people rush to judgment to blame social media. I personally believe there is danger in the popularization of negative criticism against social media. These are social platforms, but the underlying issues are not with the mediums themselves. The only thing that has changed in the past decade is "the amount we consume of one another's edited lives."
I still recall being seventeen (a time before Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc) and the feeling that I needed to portray something different on the outside than what I was feeling on the inside. I, too, remember walking through the halls of my former university and seeing pictures on bulletin boards of student society and residence events. I even recall appearing in many of those photos wearing (but not feeling) a smile. I remember observing how happy everyone looked and wondering what was wrong with me that I didn't feel the same way. What I didn't realize back then was that there were likely many others in those bulletin board collages that felt just like me; I wasn't making these observations through a critical lens. This past week, I decided to flip through a bunch of print pictures from my first year of university; there I am smiling in all of them. I most definitely led an edited version of my life that year. What I am trying to illustrate with this example is that the idea of living an "edited version of one's life" was not born from social media.
One of our readings this week discussed the notion of social comparison theory, which was around long before social media. This theory suggests that "people have innate tendencies to track our progress and assess our self-worth by comparing ourselves to other people… lead[ing] to feelings of insignificance and insecurity." I most definitely believe that this played a significant role in Madison's story, as the article states, "the life she was curating online was distinctly different from the one she was actually living. Yet she could not apply that same logic when she looked at the projected lives of others." Teens (to varying degrees), both online and offline, experience this social-comparison and difficulty differentiating between what's projected and what's not projected. As Amy asks in her blog post, "How do we help our children to read between the digital lines?" It's a good question, and one that ought to be examined. Furthermore, we need to teach students to read between the lines in the face-to-face world as well. Everyone has their struggles; perfection does not exist.
License: CC0 Public Domain from Pixabay
I also believe that mental illness was the most significant factor in Madison's story. As the article points out, "The myth still exists that happiness is a choice, which perpetuates the notion of depression as weakness." Madison's story reminds me of the story of Clara Hughes, who says, “We have been conditioned that we should be ashamed to have any shape or form of mental illness.” Kirsten further illustrates this societal pressure in her blog post: "Our society is obsessed with perfection, but also with tearing down those who we fear may not live up to that perfection." We mustn't forget that Madison felt she needed to hide her inner turmoil because mental illness itself is still stigmatized both online and offline. Perhaps if mental illness was less stigmatized, Madison would have felt less pressure to put so much effort into her filtered life, in order to really seek help with her unfiltered one. Instagram is not the culprit, nor the obstacle; it is just an "extension of our genuine human tendencies". If we continue to blame social media, we will never get to the deeper issue. The culprits are mental illness and societal "norms" (both of which have originated offline). The obstacle is getting a meaningful conversation going about mental illness and breaking down the "shame" inaccurately associated with it. Teens are already deeply engaged with social media; perhaps social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook can leverage this message.
Some lingering questions I have:
2 Comments
Amy Singh
10/25/2015 08:31:38 pm
Great post Genna! Thanks for sharing your thoughts- I totally agree, my first year at University was difficult too and I'm betting if I looked back on my pictures I would be showing a 'happy' face too, this certainly didn't just start with social media, but I wonder if because there is so much more of it 'in your face' (or in the palm of your hand) is why it seems a little more blatant now?
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Genna Rodriguez
10/25/2015 10:05:00 pm
Thanks Amy! I really enjoyed your blog post as well! I completely agree--we definitely have more access to people's projected identities through these mediums. I think we need to look at how we can use these social platforms to cultivate positive digital spaces wherein we can leverage well-being through increased understanding and empathy. However, I think that will be extremely difficult to accomplish if we continue to be blind to the roots of the problem, which include social comparison, mental illness, and distorted social norms/stigmas. When we point the finger at social media, we have three fingers pointing back at us. It is US, as humans, that use these social media tools and influence the direction they take.
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Genna RodriguezTeacher & Tech Coach with Regina Catholic Schools. Passion for EdTech, 21st century student-centered pedagogy, connected learning & differentiated instruction. Grad student. Categories
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