Upon scrolling through Instagram last week, I noticed endless photos marked with #10yearchallenge popping up on daily stories. This seemingly innocuous hashtag enables people to select an old "selfie" (this irritating word never fails to make me cringe) and paste it next to a more current one so that viewers can infer some pleasing attribute about their personality or marvel at one's incredible transformation. These photos range from adorable (i.e. endearing childhood pics) to unintentionally hilarious and even downright arrogant, as an excuse to show off one's wealth. Basically, if you never caught on to this trend you aren't missing anything because it's completely narcissistic and boring. Instagram is the only social media account I use, but I really ought to delete it because I just can't afford to kill off any more neurons from such utter banality.
Luckily, my faith in humanity wasn't completely destroyed thanks to one of my good friend's #10yearchallenge photo (see below). In my opinion, this is one of the only "before and after" images that's actually relevant. It's a big wake up call--not only to the reality of global warming but also to society's disturbing infatuation with the self. I miss the days when I could look around and not spot a single person taking a photo of themselves. I mean come on, take a photo of your friends, a work of art, a tree--anything but your own face day after day.
It's actually shocking when you think about it--when exactly did it become cool to spend your free time taking photos of yourself? Everyone's so consumed chronicling their own existence as if one day they're going to glance at their screens only to realize that their nose has turned magenta or something. Here's a thought: next time you find yourself reaching for your phone to capture your scintillating lunch time adventures, try to instead figure out the underlying reasons as to why you feel the need to do this. Is it boredom? Insecurity? Loneliness?
It seems that selfies serve as a subconscious bandaid protecting us from the sting of reality; they offer temporary relief via superficial distraction. More importantly, they help us ward off those pesky, lingering fears of being forgotten or innately unlovable. In this sense, accumulating "likes" serves to sustain the comforting belief that other people do indeed still care about us. Perhaps this is why we're so compelled to continuously remind our followers that we still exist. I can't help but wonder if maybe we post so much because the mere act of posting in and of itself reaffirms our own humanity.
It seems that selfies serve as a subconscious bandaid protecting us from the sting of reality; they offer temporary relief via superficial distraction. More importantly, they help us ward off those pesky, lingering fears of being forgotten or innately unlovable. In this sense, accumulating "likes" serves to sustain the comforting belief that other people do indeed still care about us. Perhaps this is why we're so compelled to continuously remind our followers that we still exist. I can't help but wonder if maybe we post so much because the mere act of posting in and of itself reaffirms our own humanity.
Neurologically speaking, developing the habit of checking your social-media accounts conditions your brain over time to expect and ultimately rely on unnatural bursts of dopamine. This means that your phone functions as an artificial source of pleasure that leaves you addicted to narcissistic supply. Consequently, the brain learns that it doesn't have to produce nearly as much natural dopamine on its own, seeing as Instagram and Twitter are doing a great job themselves at hijacking your brain's pleasure centers when ever your digital feed automatically refreshes itself. Therefore, you may initially experience pangs of dysthymia upon reducing your internet usage, just as you would detoxing from other dopamine-enhancing drugs such as sugar or caffeine.
Regardless, if you stopped using social media today, I doubt you'd suffer a chronic existential crisis or fractured identity. Just think about how much more free time you'd have to pursue other, more substantial interests. Hypothetically, let's say someone uses social media around twenty minutes per day. That adds up to 560 minutes a month and a whopping 6,720 minutes or 112 hours lost each year to social media's endless web of abject ineptitude. It's like we're voluntarily entering a maze that has no endpoint. As many can attest, casually clicking on a friend's daily story about something trite (like avocado toast, for example) can lead to hours on end of pointless scrolling until it's 3am and you've finally pinpointed which local cafes have the best toast, whether or not freeze-dried avocado chips are a bad idea, and what percentage of your income you're going to put aside as a weekly stipend so that in two months you can order a carton of genuine, seedless aguacates straight from Oaxaca. Case in point: social media is stealing your time. It drains you, isolates you from reality and can spark toxic feelings of jealousy or self-loathing.
When you think about it, 112 hours over a year is a good chunk of time. In fact, there's a lot one could successful accomplish within that amount of time. According to Business Insider, it takes approximately 50 hours to make a friend. And remember Malcolm Gladwell's theory espousing that it takes "10,000 hours" to be adept in a given field? Well, bestselling author Josh Kaufman posits it only takes 20 hours to learn a new skill. So if you chose to give up social media, you could be proficient in six different disciplines by this time next year! Or enjoy 56 movies. Or read the entire Bible twice (you get the point). Look, I love technology and am a secret app-a-holic, but when I look back at my life before the advent of social media, I was a much happier person. I felt more connected, more present, and never had the compulsion to check my feed. Friends were people I hung out with on a daily basis in person--not in a chatroom. Instead of fixating on snapping photos to post of my life experiences, I was completely focused on enjoying them instead and living to the fullest.
In conclusion, if you notice that your online exploits have left you insular and too far removed from present time, take it as a sign you should re-evaluate your personal priorities and values. If becoming an online influencer is your ultimate goal, more power to you. At least for me, what I'm searching for in life can't be plugged in, charged, uploaded to iCloud, texted, posted, or anything of that sort. However, I truly hope you can find your bliss and manifest your life purpose--even when you have no service. 😉
Works Cited:
De Cannonville, Christine. (2018). "Narcissism And The Addiction To Narcissistic Supply." Narcissistic Behavior, https://narcissisticbehavior.net/narcissism-and-the-addiction-to-narcissistic-supply/
Haynes, Trevor. (2018, May 1). "Dopamine, Smart-Phones & You: A Battle for your Time." Harvard University Blog, http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/
Schawbel, Dan. (2013, May 30). "Joshua Kaufman: It Takes 20 Hours Not 10,000 Hours To Learn A Skill." Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2013/05/30/josh-kaufman-it-takes-20-hours-not-10000-hours-to-learn-a-skill/#16425f65363d
Torres, Monica. (2018, April 16). "Here's How Many Hours it Takes to Make a New Friend as an Adult." Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-many-hours-it-takes-to-make-a-new-friend-as-an-adult-2018-4
I really liked your statement, "selfies serve as a subconscious bandaid protecting us from the sting of reality." In context, it shows how there are people in the world who cling to the internet & social media for immediate affirmation and approval. Everyday, I am surprised by just how much of the world that people miss. There are many who would rather stay inside, scrolling through their feed, when they could be looking around their neighborhoods. I can attest to doing this myself. It wasn't till recently when I actually went walking around my community, after years of being there, to discover a number of small businesses and beautiful murals painted on re-purposed office spaces. I had been in the vicinity for years but had never known about them. This leads to a larger discussion but, its not that technology or social media is inherently bad; its how we use it that is. It will be once we really embrace that idea that people will be able to admire what the world has to offer.
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