We are living with so much zeal in the virtual reality, the world created by social media where a “like” button decides how your life is going to look like. We are so engrossed in putting a happy go lucky ball game out there that our real life is lost in the midst. This virtual reality might not always be harmful for us, it has given a lot of people the recognition, respect and love they deserved in a really short period of time. Social media has given a free online public sphere to people of like-minded interests. The online communities support each other and promote each other’s work with so much enthusiasm that there comes no full stop in learning, sharing, or expressing. We have seen so many diversities in the kind of work that is observed on social media whether in the form of writings, poetries, monologues, stand up comedies, make up tutorials, travel vlogs and what not.
Although we know that there is an overflow of content and creators these days, but we cannot deny the fact that because of social media we have discovered a place for artists to showcase their potential on a large scale. This content which gets viral on social media is not only an achievement for the creator but an inspiration for a lot of others absorbing the content as audiences. According to a study conducted in Mussoorie by Jonathan Long, principal of the renowned Woodstock School it was found that for teenagers’ social media was a valuable source of self-expression. It was understood that teenagers felt less lonely because they were able to connect with people of their choice, share their opinions and perspectives on issues of their preference and felt more connected in the altered reality constructed by humans online. If an individual is able convey their feelings and beliefs according to their liberty, it benefits their overall wellbeing and happiness.
Many social media applications like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik-Tok and various others have gained appreciation from the audiences because it is through their inception that content creation became a worthy business and changed lives of a lot of individuals. Instagram became one of the top platforms in the recent years as it is quite easy to use. All you need to do is click a picture/ shoot a video, add filters, and post it. That’s how easy portraying and documenting our lives on social media has become. Applications like Instagram have made content creation a concept centric platform wherein your phone dominates which combination of ideas goes online and how it is curated. These platforms have made us mini story tellers, we capture our lives and share it on social media expressing and showing what all is happening with us and how we are reacting to it. When we focus on self-expression there are some users who are telling their stories through their own account in the light of their perspectives but there are pages on these social media platforms which work differently. “Humans of Bombay” is considered to be one of the largest blog pages of India. They are telling stories of people from all around the world, stories which are unique and stories that matter. This page is responsible for sharing the narratives of people who might not be capable of telling their own tale. These stories are emotional, inspiring, and optimistic in their own ways.
We are humans and we all have something to tell, something to share with the world. Social media just made it easier. May it be in a virtual world or a world of real life manifesting yourself is important, sharing your stories is brave.
About the Author
Journalism Student from University of Delhi. Passionate for developing creative content.