Media Millennial

My name is Sofiya Pidzyraylo. Like any other millennial I have been subject to society’s critique of the technology/social media age I was born in to. Lazy, shallow, vain, out of touch with the world – all words that have been used to describe my generation. Funny thing is, I don’t think I can disagree.

But am I and my fellow millennials to blame?

Criticized for the overwhelming amount of media consumption that we do, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Linkedin, Pinterest, Tinder…(I can go on forever here), it was never our choice to become passive consumers of society’s technological advancements or constructs. We began to see the world through the eyes of social media, not our physical selves in the world. Undeniably, social media and the growth of the internet in our daily lives has definitely brought us closer in the spread and sharing of ideas – not only locally or nationally but internationally. People separated by thousands of miles can connect in a swift click of a button, something the 90s, as nostalgic as they may seem, never offered. But at what price do these online connections come? For we have lost the significance of personable conversations and connectedness that is brought about through getting to know someone through means other than by their Facebook profile.

Although I critique socially media so adamantly, nonetheless I am an avid consumer. I found myself questioning the reasons for which I continue to do so. I am five years out of high school now and gone from my life are the years of petty cliques and shallow judgments, where every day had been a popularity contest. Or so I thought. For now I take a look at how I relate to those in my Instagram and Facebook feed and find myself comparing myself to people I genuinely not care for. The likes, which have now seemed to signify how cool, how beautiful, how creative, how significant you are a member of this society, constantly berate my self-esteem. And I am not in the minority, studies have shown that increased time spent on Facebook correlates with increased depressive thinking.

Although I understand that Facebook, Instagram and other forms of social media show only the good
and amazing parts of our lives, while leaving out the rest, my subconscious cannot help but succumb to the popularity contest I’ve been unwillingly entered into. 

We shouldn't define ourselves by the reactions of people on social media and seek validation for our beauty, kindness and worth from friends who are ghosts and unimportant in our actual lives outside the social media bubble. So I will post what I like, post what I feel and I will not heed to what the public finds likable or worth their click.