Many of us may be familiar with the term “do it for the gram.” While on the surface it is a funny phrase about doing something outrageous for social media, I believe many of us truly live by this saying.
Our generation is consumed by social media. Nearly 99 percent of Generation Z have their own smartphone or access to one, making us the first “digital native” generation. And when using our phones, we find ourselves on social media.
Ninety-four percent of Gen Z use at least one social media platform per day, spending an average of three hours on social media. It is clear that social media has become more than a platform for entertainment — it has become an integral part of how we represent ourselves.
Social media compels us to conform and place ourselves into a carefully curated mold. When someone clicks on our profile, we want all the little boxes to convey a similar theme, showing we are thoughtful and cool, not disorganized and eccentric. Aspects as simple as a profile picture or curating an aesthetic feed feel like big decisions on how we wish to be perceived by others.
Social media has become just another part of who we are. But is this a good thing?
Social media’s crucial role in so many of our identities has a real impact on how we act. Every new experience becomes an opportunity to express yourself to your followers. But this expression is artificial, manufactured to send a certain message to those who may come across it and does not represent reality.
French Postmodernist Jean Baudrillard may help us make better sense of this phenomenon. He championed the idea of simulacrum, which is something that “replaces reality with its representations.” To better understand this concept in action, think of a movie set. It imitates reality and produces a “convincing illusion of a place that never actually existed.”
Baudrillard’s idea of hyperreality argues that our modern world is a simulacrum, in which reality has been replaced by false images, to such an extent that one cannot distinguish what is real from what is not. In this hyperreality, these “simulations of reality seem more real than reality itself.”
In a sense, on social media, we become our own simulacrums. The intentionally curated profiles we put forth are mere representations of us as individuals. They don’t show the real version of us, but an idealized one.
This fake version of us can feel more important and desirable than the real version. What now feels more real is what we see online, not what is actually authentic — a polished version of reality is more ideal than the more complicated truth. This idealized reality is reinforced by others through likes, which provide gratification, making the digital more appealing than reality.
Social media allows us to convey things to people we may not have been able to and share things without the awkwardness of a real conversation. You can show people you’re funny by posting a meme, without risking the embarrassment of telling a joke that falls flat. Social media can also allow us to show our interests and traits without saying the words out loud. Why tell a random person about your affinity for the Mets when you can repost the end score of a game that they finally win?
We are constantly filtering ourselves, creating a version of ourselves we want others to see. We might choose to include a photo of ourselves smiling with a large group of friends to show we are social and happy, but this doesn’t account for the reality that could have existed when the photo was taken. Maybe you and your friends weren’t actually happy and had just gotten into a fight before the picture.
We choose the area with better lighting, tell our friend to adjust the camera to get a better angle and pick an expression to best show the emotion we wish to convey to our audience. How many times has creating a digital representation of ourselves gotten in the way of true enjoyment of an experience? Our digital world encourages seeing experiences through the lens of how social media-worthy they are. How we represent an experience to others becomes more important than living it.
This invisible audience impacts how we approach experiences. We may choose to go to the more “aesthetic” cafe to study with friends, in the hope of getting a picture worth posting. But by doing so, you could have missed out on lower prices or more tasty coffee. Was it even really a successful night out if you didn’t get a good photo?
We may see the vacation we are going on as an opportunity to share on social media, as I admittedly have thought and done so many times. Are you fully taking in the scenery around you, or is it being interrupted by the persistent click of the camera?
This widespread phenomenon is unlikely to go away and remains a cause for concern. So what should we do? With this knowledge, we can be more conscious of how we engage with social media and how we choose to approach it.
First, we can start to put less value on social media by spending less time on it. Instead of mindlessly scrolling in between classes, we can engage with something more intellectually stimulating, like a book or simply relax and escape the constant stimulation of our modern world.
Most of us are not going to completely abandon social media, but we must be mindful of how much we are using it. Putting a screen time limit might sound juvenile, but it could be very helpful. Not only will this help you be more productive, but it will also help you enjoy and appreciate your life more.
Having this knowledge can also aid us when we are on social media. It reminds us that what we are seeing is not reality. When you see an influencer with a life you really wish you had, remember it is a filtered version of reality, not reality itself. Social media often breeds self-comparison, so it is important to keep in mind that this is a representation an individual wants you to see, not the reality.
Having a more conscious approach toward social media can help it not be such an integral part of our identities. Social media can be an entertaining way to share and engage with others, but it is important to remember not to let it control us and that it is not reality.
Kayla Cloherty is a freshman majoring in history.
Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece that represents the view of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the staff editorial.