Isolation Is Affected By Social Media

1293 Words3 Pages

Each and every day, millions upon millions of people browse the internet, sometimes for entertainment, but most other times watching the hierarchy of the internet . The hierarchy being the tip of the social iceberg, also known as celebrities and the desirables. They are known to be the ones that have gathered a mass following, the most attention, and further qualities such as talent or great looks, that one aspires to acquire one day. With the rise of ever changing technology, technology has born a new way of becoming that celebrity that everyone wants to become with the convenience of never leaving your home. Social media has been introduced to everyone that possesses a smart phone. Fans that were devious of celebrities now have an opportunity …show more content…

This may sound excellent, but in reality, isolation and boredom is in fact a great thing to have. “Being alone, though uncomfortable, allows us to reflect on what we love and fear” (McWilliams). Isolation allows us to discover ourselves without any distractions to cloud up the process, such as what a smartphone may provide. However the feeling of isolation, which can be caused by social media, can cause complications, and according to the University of Pittsburgh, “the more time a young adult uses social media, the more likely they are to feel socially isolated”. Feeling isolated is not the same as being isolated. It is known that mentally feeling isolated can lead to depression, erratic sleep habits, loss/ increase of appetite, constant fatigue, muscle aches, and headaches, or in worse cases suicide. Meanwhile, being physically isolated leaves one time to get to know one’s self. For instance, nobody can answer the question “What's it like to be you”, besides yourself. In the Instafamous world, that is no longer the case. The Instafamous user doesn’t ask themselves “What's it like to be me”? Rather they ask their audience the same question, because they develop uncertainty of themselves. Ironically instead of leading the audience, they are the marionette puppet being controlled by their audience. Take for example Leandra Goodridge’s Instagram account known as “Leleboo_phucku” provided by Marwick. She is identified as Instafamous just by leaching of the famous Barbadian pop singer Rihanna. Goodridge is very uncertain about her own identity, so she asks her audience, rather than herself ,“Question ?!?!?! . . ..,,,,, ya’ll think I should become a makeup artist ?!?!?! (Marwick, 153). Why would a woman in her twenties suddenly ask her audience what profession she should encounter. As if she didn’t spend quality time with herself and got all caught up satisfying the unseen faces

Open Document