While out with a friend, I joked that she needed an Instagram account so that tagging her in photos would be easier, as well as the hidden bonus of a boost in my follower count. She responded with a super-rant about why it was pointless to document every aspect of life because what was significant about showing the entire world your sandwich or latte? I wasn’t sure why her reaction annoyed me so much at the time, but the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that this is the general attitude of many people. Social media has become a little taboo, mostly because people attribute it to the “me, me, me” generation, and how self-absorbed we seem to be. You would think there are worse things to do than to post a picture of your turkey sandwich.
Tied to this is the concept of the “other girls” — the “other girls” who tweet about literally everything. The “other girls” who go hunting for the perfect photo op so their Instagram feed can be color-coordinated (I know, I’ve done this). Some perceptions of social media are so negative that it’s good to “not be one of those girls.” Except here’s my question: What exactly makes you so much better than all those other girls? Does being inactive on social media mean that you are somehow better suited for the world? These questions aren’t meant in any way to be angry or vindictive, but I am curious. Personally, my life is not in any way altered by my decision to post a Facebook status or upload a selfie to Instagram.
There’s a whole bitter argument that social media is basically a platform for insignificant people to overshare about their insignificant lives. If this is true though, isn’t it a somewhat positive thing that we are doing? Isn’t it kind of cool that we can acknowledge that we are significant, and that others are significant by looking at or listening to the things they want to say? Maybe I’m digging in too deep, but maybe I’m not. Sure, my selfie may not catch Tyra Banks’ attention, and my salad may not be gourmet enough for Anthony Bourdain, but I’m feeling myself, I’m enjoying my life and I’m getting something out of everything. Underneath the so-called superficiality of social media, there’s something pretty great. Those bitter people may be right: The fact that you won a student body election, or got a cat or tried your hand at underwater basket weaving – these things may not be important to the world, or even in the long run, but someone is excited for you, someone is proud of you and someone wishes you well.
My selfies don’t always document some significant life event, and people may argue that selfies are a little narcissistic – and they’re somewhat right about that too. It is a little narcissistic. We take pictures of our own faces and post them for other people to see. There’s also nothing wrong with that. What’s wrong with being confident? Or being excited about how your makeup looks? Sure, a picture of me with a coconut iced coffee isn’t going to achieve world peace, but I like it, so why does that matter? So much of the negativity surrounding millennials and social media comes from the idea that none of what we do in that realm “positively contributes” to the rest of the world. It doesn’t really seem to consider that some things can just be for us, for our own amusement or boost in self-confidence, and not necessarily for some “greater good.”
As the summer approaches, collegiettes, remember to take plenty of pictures and feel empowered to post them on social media as much or as little as you’d like. And may your selfies always have the best lighting.
Photo credit: vanityfair.com