Sometimes it’s easier to live 2-3 different lives than just
the one you’ve been given. With ever-growing social media usage, creating alternate
identities is easier than ever. All you have to do now is click ‘Create Account’
and you’ve brought a new person to life.
To anybody else, this new person is as
real as you – they can chat with this person, share pictures with them, and so
much more. Christopher Blair is just one person who “created more than a dozen
online profiles… sometimes disguising himself in accompanying photographs as a
beautiful Southern blonde woman or as a bandanna-wearing conservative…”
When someone lies to you, it hurts. Why then do we not care
more when people create these false accounts lying about who they are? Technology
blurs the lines that were once clearly seen. Rapid innovation leaves the
rule book behind, creating new problems at a rate that laws cannot keep up. This
is why it’s such a big moral issue. You know it’s not the right thing to do,
but then again, there’s no law preventing it.
“On the screen, like nowhere else, he could say exactly how he felt and become whomever he wanted.” – Eli Saslow on Christopher Blair
It’s also a problem when you spend more time in these
alternate realities than in the real one. Knowing that you don’t have to be
yourself when you’re on your computer takes away the stress and responsibility
of living the one life that actually matters. There’s no motivation to be a
better human being when you have 3,000 “friends” online waiting for you to log
on. Pretty soon those profiles consume you, and you become immersed in a dream
where you are exactly who you stopped working to become.
Great post! I know other posts talked about fake accounts, but I like how you primarily talk about how even people's real, personal accounts have false information. I think it is an interesting concept how people not only promote the best aspects of their lives to others, but also to themselves. I believe that people live vicariously through their instagram posts. Sometimes when I feel down, I look through old pictures and remind myself of better times. However, this becomes dangerous because sometimes I don't even recognize myself in my posts -- they're usually far from the truth so sometimes it doesn't even feel like my life. For example, I may post a smiling picture with friends, but behind the scenes maybe I had just spilt something on my self, or had a stomach ache.
ReplyDeleteI like the 'twist' at the end where you state "...you are exactly who you stopped working to become." The entire read I thought you were going to talk about people who over-exaggerate their real lives with more desirable, extravagant ones. In that case people are more stressed (so I've heard) as opposed to your last paragraph.
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