We're all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the Instagram stars
"That picture of you on the beach got 3000 likes - that's insane".
We hear this sort of thing a lot nowadays. In this small excerpt is revealed a fair amount about the attitudes surrounding Instagram and Facebook (inter alia) - attitudes that seem to be here to stay for good, or indeed for bad. Have we hit a point where one's value today is quantified by the likes we receive? I would say that the answer to this for many of us is, rather ridiculously, a yes.
Firstly, I should say that the dynamic I talk about here is overwhelmingly a reserve - whether consciously or unconsciously - of young people. Herein lies the tragedy . The younger generation, whose originality and innovation is fundamental to society's progression, have fallen into a high-pressured social tank exacerbated by herd-like utterances such as "you need more followers on Instagram man - get those likes up! ', stifling originality of thought and content.
I don't mean that such a 'custom' is inherently threatening or inimical to originality, but rather that the measure of likes, followers and comments has become a common denominator we increasingly use to check a person's 'influence', and therefore potentially their value (if we aren't careful enough to separate out the two). "She has over 10k followers, she must be popular, obviously". We don't care about the quality of output anymore, but merely the quantity of reach.
Harsh symptoms of the pathology aren't necessarily amongst those whose Instagram/Facebook/Twitter profiles fall disappointingly under the 400 follower/60 like-per-image mark. No, most of these users see the platforms only as pleasant outlets or casual slideshows and veneers of their weekly activities. The insidious effect is, rather ironically, amongst those who perpetually rate their profiles against others as they try to catch up on those ahead of them in the likes/followers game, often one of cat and mouse.
French philosopher Baudrillard talked at length of simulacra and simulation -. the map replacing/superseding the reality it attempts to depict. It is arguably this very dynamic that binds the likes-followers game so effectively; as long as one appears perfect and wholesome on their social media profile and garners thousands of followers in doing so, who really cares if the daily realities of their life dramatically contrast this? This is admittedly exaggerated on my part, however, I would say it an accurate reflection of many of the behaviours that permeate modern reliance and/or obsession with social media profiles. The map-reality blur is likewise exacerbated and even explicitly appraised in modern reality shows such as Made in Chelsea. Why bother about reality when we can simulate it in a much more pristine, exciting and easily-tailored manner?
I admit, none of this is necessarily novel as a point of debate. Discussions on the danger of social media peer pressure abound, and have done so for years now. However, the psychological impact it has on identity, relationships and perceptions of self/other has actually garnered little formal discussion, save amongst rather niche social anthropology circles.
I know people who concern themselves with likes/followers/profile presence as if their lives depended on it, as I'm sure you do. Indeed, I would be lying if I said that I didn't regularly check my own social media 'value' or 'influence' (don't worry, it's basically non-existent).
The habits I'm referring to that distinctly mark the contemporary use of social media are not 'dangerous' to any degree if ones digital presence is a documentation of their daily interests; a story, in the broadest sense of the word. However, where the relationship one has with likes and followers verges on the obsessive-compulsive and revolves only and entirely around 'getting the likes up', then I would contend we have a serious problem on our hands, and our handsets. Perhaps it's time to look up.