Lately, I’ve found myself distancing myself from the trending International social media platform TikTok. I’ve noticed as I scroll through my algorithm that everything seems so performative, almost as if social media now lacks character. As time passes by, new trends are introduced to the algorithm, for example, clothes, food trends, slang, etc.
As a society, everything is soon to become bland, attempting to be “niche”. Social media has bullied us as a society out of our narrative, the stories that we’ve written. There is so much knowledge the world holds, and consumerism and performatism are the downfall of it.
Recently, I came across a video by a user who goes by “@logie.us” on TikTok, and the user created a video stating, “ You Are Being Distracted With The Most Addictive Chemical Produced, Dopamine. Wake up, get off your phone, and go outside. Reduce, Replace, and Rebuild”.
That is when it clicked for me: social media consumes so much of Teenagers ‘ and adults’ lives, that we’ve taken advantage of the beauty in being an individual, a human being. The art of experiencing life is the emotions and scenarios that play through our unwritten story. Humans have fallen victim to materialism and overconsumption, which makes us another statistic of capitalism.
Every person that has been introduced into your life has taught you a lesson, regardless of whether it influenced you or negatively impacted you.
We’ve influenced and inspired so many people just by being unapologetically ourselves.
The media has made our generation so sensitive to the fear of being alone, and we find things to fill the void of that thought. Learning to find peace in seasons of loneliness makes you emotionally intelligent, not by repeatedly using words like limerance, demure, yearning, etc.
Being emotionally intelligent is the ability to perceive, understand, and utilize emotion, but also to understand that knowledge doesn’t stop, but it continues to grow.
Understanding that you continue to grow and learn, as a person, and that’s the art of being a human. Time shouldn’t be wasted on fighting the inevitable, but accepting that time isn’t guaranteed.
The world, and even your world, can end at any time, and you will always have a problem to learn, regardless of age. So, enjoy life whilst still solving them.
An inspirational content creator, @life.with.sandra.h, quoted, “You have no idea how lucky you are and to be the way you are. And you are perfect just the way you are. I think that is one thing age has given us, and aging gracefully has given us. Different physical makeup we all have imperfections in our physical makeup. If that could be even be thought of an imperfection. …I have never met an ugly woman in my life, never. There is always something so beautiful, their eyes, their lips, their hair, maybe their profile is so unusual and nice. And whatever they have, the kindness, the warmth that they have built out throughout the years, makes them so beautiful.”
Hearing this quote for the first time made me realize how pressured and insecure social media makes us feel like we have to constantly change to blend in.
For instance, Botox, dying grey hairs, buying overpriced wear, tanning, rhinoplasty, Brazilian butt lifts, and so on. The new constant insecurity media projects on us dehumanizes and insults humanity, because we are the face of generations that loved, generational love. Social media feeds us terms like “chopped” and “looksmaxxing” to manifest anxiety and to lower self-esteem.
Instead of spending your life worrying about the standards of the world, investigate what makes you a person. Bettering yourself as a person doesn’t make you less than anyone, but smarter.
Align yourself with the things that amuse you and surround yourself with people who constantly help you grow as a person, or find comfort in your own company.
Authenticity shouldn’t be rare to find, but it should be normalized. Everybody is constantly releasing the same song over and over again, so be the one to own your own genre of music.
Write your own songs, be the music that you can harmonize with, instead of tuning into someone else’s.