—

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.