Real life over Reel life?

Trendy aesthetics, viral health hacks, and that perfect gym bod… but how much of it is actually real Join Jordan as he unpacks how social media shapes our perceptions of appearance, culture, and happiness—without us even realising it. Are we in control, or are we just NPCs in an algorithm’s game?

Chasing the latest social media trends in aesthetics and lifestyle might be considered very mindful indeed, but how in the "skibidi" does this affect our perceptions of appearances, culture and happiness? Are these fleeting yet widespread influences an authentic representation of ourselves? Here is a chance to truly consider how much of our lives are shaped by social media.

Appearance

A quick peek into social media's discover tab would easily expose all the ideal aesthetics in demand: Flawless, lean muscular physiques for both men and women. Constant use of social media also affects our expectations of appearances. However, these expectations can be seen as a double-edged sword. On one hand they motivate us to further progress in our physical endeavors. They might also pose as a reservoir of grit when things do not seem to be working out. Since countless others have already accomplished their goals there should be no reason we cannot do so, right? Therein lies the hidden truth when it comes to how genuine such appearances are: They are not a true representation of effort and consistency which is what people may be led to believe. Many of these physiques are not naturally attained and require the use of external performance enhancing substances like anabolic steroids. Their risks do not outweigh the benefits for the common man. Classic examples include John Cena and The Rock, both of whom have publicly declared that they are fully natural despite maintaining what many would consider too perfect of a physique at their ripe ages of 47 and 52 respectively. With this in mind, does this mean that the idea of such physiques should solely be deemed as misrepresentation and discarded? Not necessarily.

Example of the idealised social media physique

Suggestions

There are always two sides to the same coin. What I feel to be a more appropriate response would be to not only look at the final product of the physique itself, but more importantly the principle that led to this result. Underlying the deceit of a fully ‘natural’ physique is the desire to strive to be the best version of oneself. I believe that is what we should focus on, to attempt to maximize our potential whether physical or mental.

Culture

Appearance is not the only thing that social media has greatly influenced, the pervasive influence of social media prevails. With global access to social media, information is more accessible than ever before. However, this gives rise to an unexpected issue: inaccurate information, particularly about well-being. This has been a topic that humanity has been pursuing for eons and greater access to data which seemed like the cure to life’s unknowns only brought about more uncertainty. The lack of moderation in social media results in more unprofessional thus false health statements. Hence naïve followers would be misled into trying some of these ‘health hacks’ and could face severe side effects or be financially exploited.

Suggestions

Once again, all is not lost as some of this information is accurate. How can we tell the difference between a fact and an opinion? It is actually simple, no PhD qualifications required. A quick way to verify accuracy is to check for the post’s degree of agreement. Search the web whenever you come across any dubious content and you will see that within the first five searches you would either see all of them in agreement with your seen information or in disagreement. I suggest that you only take to heart online information that aligns with this method as health is largely objective. However, I recognize that it still has subjective elements, hence for tailored advice I would not recommend social media as a source. Consult an actual family doctor or specialist. Adopting unreliable advice is rarely worth the risk.

Happiness

Now for the million-dollar question: When all is said and done, does social media’s influence make us happier or not? It could be argued that from the dawn of humanity we have been trying to reach the goal of happiness. Unfortunately, obsession with social media tends to cause overall lower levels of happiness. From my own journey seeking to derive happiness from it, I have realized that happiness is quick to attain but also easily fleeting. I think that this could be attributed to the instant gratification that social media provides; we are basically conflating happiness with the accessibility of a dopamine high from social media. Our brains then value each unit of happiness less and less.

My take

In my opinion, to alleviate this issue, we must not take the information on social media too seriously. Use it only to inspire our goals. This way we control social media and not the other way round.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, social media is a powerful creation that can connect people from different walks of life. However, we must be skeptical of the authenticity of its content, mindful of how much we obsess over it and its purpose in our lives. Like fire, social media is a good servant but a bad master.