— The arduous battle would not end. Unease held me still, but the unrelenting onslaught would not allow me to stop just yet. Soon it will all be worth it, | thought to myself, as | chose one of the forty-three selfies | had taken over the course of the last hour. A laboured yawn heaved out from the depths of my chest. When | began this mission earlier today | already had the best tutorial for my makeup and my go to hairstyle. | assumed my selfie would be gifted down to me from above. Instead, | am now left unsettled by the new found awareness | have of my second chin. Why do my eyebrows look like caterpillars? Maybe | should just say “F*ck it” and start over another time. No, | am no quitter. Regrettably- my eyebrows, my chins, and | will have to do this together. | thought of how good this selfie would eventually look as | meticulously edited my face. Time passed by quietly as | huddled myself up in my room—alone in my ‘happy’ place. That is not really an excerpt from my life, although | thought it might illustrate a social problem. When your self-concept and self-esteem rely heavily on social networking you are paying yourself a massive disservice. Would you not prefer to post a candid photo of yourself? One that catches your ‘bad side’ as you are achieving a goal. Possibly one which shows off the chip in your tooth as you are posing for a picture with your closest friends or family. A photo of you without makeup on, laughing so hard that tears bloomed from your eyes and your cheeks became sore. Why are you so unfulfilled with your natural self that you would be uncomfortable for others to see you in those moments? | would much rather have people see what | accomplish, what | take part in, and how much goddamn fun | had doing it. Screw your selfie-esteem! | have recently noticed people devoting more time to social networking and distancing themselves from their close friends and family in the process. Of course, | am referring to a more extreme and obsessive use of social networking than your average user. Consider how often you may be trading off interpersonal communication for emojis. Stop talking about your common cold, looking for sympathy in regards to how hard you imagine your life to be. Go meet up with a close friend and discuss your real problems. We all wake up feeling sluggish from time to time, so stop posting about how tired you are, and how unjust it is, Felicia. You are mundane. You are uninspiring, and you are not precious, you shiny star. | log onto Facebook, to repeatedly experience Raymond opening fire on his friends with pretentious photos of his routine meals of the day. Thanks Raymond—now go eat your average, annoying, alfredo. Seeing this social problem yet? No? Then | suppose | should look forward to at least one of your twenty status updates tomorrow. Thanks in advance Felicia. | am apathetic to the fact that Raymond loves food and that unfortunate things happen to people like Felicia. Nevertheless, these facts do not make those occasions any more extraordinary. | am not saying you are insignificant as an individual, but rather that maybe you perceive your life as harder than it realistically is. Your recurrent expressions are insignificant. For example, are you looking for a self-fulfilling prophecy? Are you seeking to air out your own perceived hardships in order to strengthen a connection to others out there on your preferred social network? Please stop encouraging easily offended, problem- seeking folks who avoid fulfilling their own needs in a healthier manner. Give yourself liberation, and shift your perspective.