Among the many calamitous events of 2020, many may recall the divine political intervention that exploded the grounds of social media. Mainly, this phenomenon sprouted through Instagram, in which the “Story” feature quickly became a platform to voice woke-leftist posts in wake of the 2020 election. As a freshman in highschool at the time, there did come a certain sense of fulfillment in the idea of exerting these holier-than-thou articulations, as if I was in possession of an untouchable aura for doing so. But it’s within that very fulfillment lies the very problem. Though encouraging the act of raising awareness may seemingly be beneficial in theory, the reality is that this encouragement tends to grow weeds over time. In other words, the entire motivation behind “using a platform” and “spreading educational information” becomes less about enlightenment, and focuses more on emerging as the bonafide enlightener. Though, my beliefs not to seem as the introduction of some right-leaning demagogue lamenting over the harrowing “democratic-plauge”, and is merely to trace the origins in which a new era of social media began to blossom
At this point in time, social media has transformed into a convenient stage to house the self-righteous actor who must appear in flashy garb for the sole purpose of applause while the actual issue at hand remains nothing more than a backdrop to highlight their charitability. Most notably, the issue of mental illness has become the poster child to be obsessively cradled and bottle-fed by society through mental illness awareness infographics posted on user’s stories in hopes to “spread the word.” However, it’s integral to note the semantics of these posts. A majority of these infographics’ only substance is found in over-stylized means, using trendy fonts and designs that obfuscate the actual dilemma in question into a form of sanctimonious foundation. This is ever the more apparent when taking into consideration how this shallow mantra of “mental health matters” has bled into the fashion industry. In a similar fashion to the anatomy of these aesthetically pleasing instagram posts, popular brands such as H&M and Target have amassed an arsenal of “mental health ally” merchandise coated in corporate-crowd pleasing flare. Mistakenly, these products are worn as a brave badge of honor, indicating the empowering journey of survivorship it takes to be able to support the saying: “mental health matters.” In turn, this side effect also leads to romanticizing the idea of lending a helping hand, warping support into an opportunity to join a “cute” fashion fad while simultaneously constructing a new, convenient market for these large companies to profit off of.
Yet the crowds continue to hold up the work of pressing a few buttons to glorify moral status to critical acclaim. He who puts on puppet shows of activism apparently deserves nothing less than a throne to recline in. Ultimately, parading around the mere statement of “mental health mattering” carries a false weight to it, a hollow melody of a phrase that pretends to say something meaningful. Thus, in contributing to this contrived wave of support, it is nothing more than a little kid repeatedly slamming the keys of a piano without aim- a purposeless retelling of the same, irritating cacophony that we’ve all already heard. Speaking out of complete honesty, we’ve indefinitely passed a point where the words “You are not alone”, “You are loved”, and “Suicide is not the answer” are at most, a vain and limp attempt to be proactive within the community, functioning as if an easy way for someone to check off “being a good person” from their to-do list. Yet, this epidemic of craving the taste of being seen as a “good” person has metastasized further than the realm of mental disorders.
Full disclosure, in this online-orientented world, being perceived to be of relatability and good nature ranks among one of the top desirable traits. As a result, one has to, paradoxically, manufacture their own sense of authenticity. For instance, Instagram stories house a newfound array of uses, ranging from vacuum-ified political discourse to celebratory posts for parents/grandparents who are not even familiar with Instagram to begin with. Surface level, this all seems like innocuous behavior, but in reality, these posts only further this design of the fabricated individual. This is especially the case when reflecting on the possible underlying intentions of these posts at play. Are you actually passionate about these political issues or are you clocking in for your required ten minutes of political activism for the week? Are you actually invested in starting a mental health organization whose entire existence revolves around singing “Mental health is important” for an entire month before fading into obscurity, or are you trying to find another way to sell yourself as a reputable candidate for a top college? Are you really “besties” with your mom, who, first off, is sitting five feet away from you at the dining room table in silence as you neglect her to make this exaggeration of a post, and second of all, isn’t even on Instagram and will never even see this celebration post, or are you trying to trend-ify the mother and daughter relationship?
Although this is not to automatically assume that one cannot express genuine compassion through their stories, it’s clear that a majority of these posts aren’t born out of a place of sincerity, but rather an obligation to prove themselves worthy for the day the Instagram rapture sweeps through, taking overzealous pride in bathing themselves in their own self-righteousness glory they’ve configured.
While sharing urgent messages through social media is not inherently wrong, it becomes a problem when they are displayed in this deliberately cosmetic version. Not to play the overly cynical card, but there is a kind of, almost humorous, irony that comes from the prospect of making a post dedicated to honoring the beauty of mother nature for Earth Day by showing off luxury vacation photos, which, on top of everything else, are taken by an IPhone, a device responsible for megatrons of CO2 emissions due to mass production.
At the end of the day, there will always be this “performance” quality to posting anything on your story. If you are actively proliferating something out onto your platform, it’s obvious that it’s made with the intent or want to have others see it. This is not to say that using platforms to address larger problems or lauding the lives of others is a whole-heartedly ill-practice, but if you are actively doing so in a way that overly promotes yourself in the process, then you’re doing it wrong. One’s nobility shouldn’t have to be shoved down their throats in order for other people to be able to get a taste of your true character. While it isn’t necessarily a bad thing to want to have other people see your hobbies, passions, or just the interesting moments of your life, it once again becomes a part of a larger mosaic of faults when it shifts to become a coronation ceremony of personal rectitude.
If you’re such a good person, you shouldn’t have to be shouting from the rooftops about it, you should just be it.