JACK’s JOURNEY: Social media: a life well performed

Jack Kuczmanski, a freshman at the University of Michigan and 2016 graduate of Clarkston High School, is interning at The Clarkston News this summer
I’ll be honest, there are only three reasons why I have ever “liked” somebody else’s Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook post. It was because:
It was kinda funny;
A family member or close friend posted it; and most frequently, she was an attractive young lady and I wanted her to notice me.
That’s it. Seriously. I look at each digital post for an average of 1.8 seconds. Then, once I’m done looking at each post for an average of 1.8 seconds, do you know what I do? I forget about almost everything I just saw.
What I am saying is social media is becoming more and more of a performance based, “hey, look at me and how much fun I’m always having” outlet.
To me, that’s a problem, and I believe it is significantly impacting the way many people, including myself, feel about our own lives.
If you’ve ever felt that isolating sting that arises while sitting on your couch on a weekend night as you scroll through Snapchat and watch everybody else have way more fun than you, you know what I mean when I say the performance based aspect of social media kind of sucks.
You sit there and you watch people dance into their cameras, take in a sunset from their boat on the lake, or even just get a scoop of ice cream with their two best friends and all you can think is “why am I on this stupid couch right now?”
The social media trends of today are teaching us life is meant to be performed, as what feels like a means of entertainment for everybody but yourself. Believe me, life is meant to be shared, but I really think it’s best shared with those that are physically sharing that same, impactful moment with you.
Deep tweets are nice, and deep instagram captions are cute– but deep, genuine interactions make life worth living. Always remember the best performance you can put on for society is the one that only relies on one “like” for its validation.
Make sure it’s you who logs on and double taps the unique image you desire for yourself.

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