I don't mind selfies and I think it's great when someone thinks they look good and wants to share that photo. It becomes a problem when you need the likes and the comments to validate yourself. I've heard of teenagers deleting selfies that don't get enough likes. Social media is the new drug of choice and it's addictive. I can only imagine if social media existed when I was a teenager. I probably would have been caught up in likes and follows.
You might have heard of Essena O'Neill, the 18 year old instagram star who claims all her photos were staged and that her whole life revolved around getting the perfect photo and how many likes and followers she got. She declared she was quitting social media. At first I was like "you go girl!" but now she's more famous than ever and she continues putting out videos to promote her anti-social media message. She has a website to support her new message and there's a donate button because she has to pay her rent and is no longer making money from her sponsored instagram posts. Huh? Where are her parents in all of this? I would hope that they are telling her she should move back home and focus on school and finding a regular job. Why were they letting their teenage daughter take sexy photos for instagram? They had to have known.
Yesterday I was on twitter and realized two people unfollowed me. I can't seem to stay above 600 followers on twitter. At first I was pretty annoyed. HOW DARE YOU UNFOLLOW ME! Then I realized that the two unfollowers were a brand and a band that just followed me for a follow back and then I was like, why do I even care about this? I'm going to make a grilled cheese. And I did and it was great.
I'm multi-talented, and this means that I can make a grilled cheese WHILE worrying.
ReplyDeleteha ha. Then I start worrying about my cholesterol while making the grilled cheese. Worrying is never done.
DeleteGosh, even your phone is pretty :)
ReplyDeleteI don't do selfies much, and when I do, it's usually more about where I am. My teen years were so much different than those of teens today. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to grow up with current cell phone technology. I'm glad I didn't.
It's so easy to get obsessed about followers, and not getting anymore or losing them. We all take it personally, well I do anyway, but really as you say why do we care about this? Because we all want to be loved.
ReplyDeleteWow, I have never been anywhere close to 600 followers on any social media. You're popular by my standards, for whatever that's worth. (Maybe not much?)
ReplyDeleteI don't take many selfies. I figure everyone knows what I look like already. I recently "friended" some new acquaintances on Facebook, people I met at a birthday party, and their feeds are all selfies all the time. Or thoughts regarding the comments on their selfies. Frankly I find them boring and self-absorbed. I like to see fun selfies, but it's best when they're interspersed with other types of posts to give a well-rounded expression of the individual. I think you have achieved a good balance here.