Social Media: Does Social Media Allow People To Create A False Life?

Through using social media, one has the chance to share their life with others, and while they can share it with people they know; they can also share it with people they don’t know. This is something that can take place through writing a status or uploading an image, for instance.

A True Reflection

This could then mean that one shares different parts of their life, and while they can share the parts they like; they can also share the parts they don’t like. As a result of this, they are not going to be creating the impression that their life is perfect.

So if another person was to look through their page, they might see that there are pictures where they look happy and that there are pictures where they have a different expression.  Along with this, they may see that they have moments where they are pleased with their life and that they have moments where they are not as upbeat about it.

Another Experience

If this isn’t the case, it could mean that they only share the moments where they are having a good time. The moments in their life where this is not the case are then overlooked and this could cause other people to believe that they are always happy.

But while this could be something that they do to create a certain impression; this might not be the case. What it could come down to is that they don’t want to share their whole life with the world.

In The Real World

Therefore, if they were speaking to their friends in the real world, they might talk about what is going well and what isn’t. In this sense, they are real in the real world but they are not real online.

This could be seen as a sensible approach to take and this is because anyone can see what they share online. And not only that, what they share online can be taken out of context.

In Person

Whereas when one is talking to someone they know in person, it will give them the chance to explain themselves better. This partly comes down to the fact that they won’t just have words; they will also be able to express themselves through their facial expressions and the way they use their body.

And if one has a close relationship with them, it is likely to be easier for them to understand where one is coming from. It could be said that one could send a private message instead of writing on their wall, but this is not going to be the same as having a conversation with someone in the real world.

The Other Extreme

However, one might not want to share what actually takes place in their life and they might not want to share certain parts of their life either. Instead, they might feel the need to share things that have very little to do with the life they actually lead.

If they were to only focus on the good parts, they may feel that their life is not good enough. Also, it could be a sign that their life is not very fulfilling and this then causes them to create a false life.

A False Life

The kinds of things they write about are then not a reflection of the life they lead; they will have been made up to create a certain impression. Their pictures could also create the impression that they are always happy, for instance, but this could be nothing more than an illusion.
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Another way of looking at this would be to say that they see social media as a stage and it is then important for them to put on their best performance. And through writing the ‘right’ things and sharing the ‘right’ pictures, it will enable them to put in the best performance.

On The Outside

Other people can then come to the conclusion that this is a true reflection of their life, and this could then cause them to experience discontentment. They could end up looking up to the person who looks as though they are living the perfect life.

They could say to themselves that they would love to experience life in the same way and they may even ask them for advice. But if they were to do this, it is unlikely that the other person is going to be able to help them.

One Problem

Nevertheless, this is not to say that everyone is going to fall for the false life that they present, as there are likely to be people who realise what is going on. The reason they are able to see that the life they present online doesn’t match up with the life they lead in the real world could be because they see them in the real world.

When someone falls for the false like that they present, it could be due to the fact that they don’t even know them. Or even if they do know them, they might not see them enough to realise what is taking place.

Conclusion

It would be easy to blame social media, but the only thing social media does is provide people with a platform; they don’t tell people how to use the platform they have been given. So if one feels the need to present a false life, it might be important for them to look into why this is.

This could mean that they need to work on their own self-worth and that they need to create a life that is fulfilling. If they find it hard to feel good about themselves, it may mean that they need to work with a therapist and/or a support group.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk/