Looking London, Talking Tokyo. Yes, the analogy is true today for the millennials and even Gen Ys (Born between 1989-1997). The situation is turning into an issue that can be uncontrollable if we do not take cognizance of it real soon.
You wake up, instead of picking up toothbrushes; we scroll, scroll, and scroll. We do not find anything productive by scrolling. Of course, tracking your medicine or even finding a hospital bed empty to get Covid treatment is a different scenario.
But what we do end up doing very first thing in the morning is to fill our minds with the competition that is seldom needed at that hour. Seeing our friend’s night out, the relationship posts, camaraderie, and our peer’s marriage add to the anxiety that we are not wired to handle smoothly in the morning.
We end up comparing ourselves to them. How beautiful their life is, How pitiful lifestyle am I living in, How fluttering their relationship looks like, How much achievement he has got, and me; well!
The truth is that we were not taught these uncertain things. Our brains are wired to take in so much at such times. Whenever we wake up, our Brain’s stimulus is adapted to only certain trajectories. Talking about our childhood, these were either video games, board games, or even completing our mathematics assignment.
In a way, we were to consume information that we knew in our minds. We knew what completing the math assignment could look like, we will be spared scoldings from our parents. But in the age of social media, we would not know what morning posts will do to us. In the morning, not only has the sunlight entered our rooms, but also that friend who you were very close to; has gone to a scenic place!
You get to know me not through personal conversation, but through social media. That hurts you. That creates some anxiety inside you. How come did she not tell me? She did ask me if I was free this weekend, but I was on a clock and had to finish my presentation. Next thing you know, they are there. Without you. The situation does not end there only.
The comparative idea of making the most out of the weekend comes to your mind, just because you saw something in the morning by scrolling did make you restless for a while. To cope up, Weekend blues happened. These blues create a neuron message inside your head to make your weekend most productive, which is not at all related to work.
I mean, that is what weekend is supposed to be, going out, hanging out with friends, even snapping a steering wheel, even though you’re not on the driving seat. We have become our own shadows. We are not really who we perceive to be in front of social media. It is not that we are not enjoying our own selves, but the idea of being our perfect selves on social media, and showcasing how our lives are so perfect, by adding filters and snow-white captions tell how influential this social media has grown into.
We cannot do without sharing the picture of our dinner date meal. We cannot do without making a video while the driver is driving. Even though if it meant the phone hovering around the driver’s seat. We are not really this, yet we turn out to be. We are not the captions we think all day, we are not the filters for which we spend almost 15 minutes. Yet, somehow we are convinced that competitive posting is healthy living.
No, it is not. You are sitting in a restaurant, and the real background story is that your boyfriend had a big fight with you. You were really upset, and to compensate; you wanted to change your mood. Your boyfriend was not really up for it, still, he had to agree, well! But on snap chat, you post this surreal caption with that meal; excluding your boyfriend. With that mirror facade of a photo, viewers believe how lit your life is.
You end up seeking validation from your viewers so that you can actually enjoy the moment, which you already are; by eating that delicious pasta. Even your boyfriend was sorry for that argument and had mended ways by now. Yet, your happiness did not come as a cherry on the top because you did not see any responses on your post. No reactions. You end up going home, disappointed.
It is not our fault. Seeking validation fuels our fire. This mirror image of a very splendid life we live is nothing but an illusion of the greater good. Like Social media, we are becoming our own impostors.
Sometimes, we do not recognize ourselves. Seldom do we know that we ended up spending over 45 minutes scrolling, scrolling, and even scrolling. We are so fatigued by this inactivity that we cannot get past that security gate to buy fruits for ourselves.
And worse yet, our grocery items are lying in the shopping cart on that app, yet we cannot check out. Because, Price is sometimes high, and it is making us indecisive, and concurrently, we can afford Apple 12!
What are we turning into? Remember, We are still our own heroes. We can pull the plug before it is too late. Stop being an impostor to your own selves. There is something real out there. Have a concrete conversation with your friends, invite them over dinner. Make the moment enjoyable, don’t be a xerox of something you are not supposed to be.
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