Who are you when you fake it?

A technological being’s identity crisis

When I was growing up in the 90s and early 00’s having a computer meant hogging up your mother’s phone line and giving it Napster induced viruses. Then spending about an hour communicating with your friends through instant messenger about what happened at school that day, seemed like a bonus. It literally was a privilege that supplemented your life. Now it is your life.

The shift happened sometime in the 2010’s. The allure of social media was actually born from the ease of connectivity. The evolution of the internet and smart phones were the perfect storm.

MySpace had its first successful run and that gave way for Facebook and every other app we’ve seen since. Transferring your life into a database where anyone can come and check in or admire became almost better than real life interactions.

People were able to build up pages based on looks, talent or general popularity and draw in hundreds if not thousands of virtual spectators.

Then the money came. Companies started realizing that social media, especially Instagram, was a goldmine. People who had amassed a large amount of followers were now prime marketing ads.

Being ordinary didn’t gain popularity or money. But it’s also ridiculous to believe that your favorite Instagram personality is who they portray to be on social media 100% of the time. You can create a persona and peddle it to the masses. Social media often only shows the best part of our lives and even the parts that we fabricate.

Remember the expression, ‘made for tv’? Now that those viewers have shifted their gaze to smart phones, people have rightfully made themselves ‘made for social media’.

The benefits are clear. In the internet world, the possibilities are endless. You can feed your ego and your pockets by being who you are, enhancing who you are or creating a new you. Likes and money talk.

So, now users are faced with a choice. Do you want to be marketable or ordinary?

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