The Big ‘Perfect’ Obsession

The Big ‘Perfect’ Obsession

Post date: October 23, 2020

By: Hannah Muir, Mt St Michael’s College

 

Feeling inadequate, a mood known to many. But only recently did I realise where this feeling often developed from. Can you guess? Well, for me, I am able to pin it back to the giant of the 21st century, social media. Spending exponential amounts of time staring at my phone has developed some form of obsession within me. Often my attention is targeted at the glamourous and seemingly perfect lives of the people I see on social media and I constantly compare my own life and successes against theirs. So what? You may ask, well I believe it is time we think and recognize the impacts this has on our lives and the lives of the people around us, and is it necessary to go back to the basis of the Catholic social teachings to remind us of our human values.

 

According to https://www.caritas.org.au/: “Every human being is created in the image and likeness of God and therefore has inherent dignity. No human being should have their dignity or freedom compromised. The dignity of every person, independent of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age or ability is the foundation of CST”.  Every human has dignity, and one power of social media is the ability to bring the experience of every human directly into our lives in a personal and intimate way. It enables us to connect and communicate with people across the world; however, when we communicate online we should ask ourselves, am I upholding the dignity of those whom I engage with? Am I respecting the feelings of others? Am I recognizing the values of others? But let’s explore the consequences of not following this outline. 

Today in 2020, some 3.8 billion people use social media each day! People can seem to be financially better off, in more loving relationships, have better homes, physical beauty, dream jobs, travelling the world and inevitably this leads to people feeling empty and worthless. A serious consequence of this is that people can become obsessed with having a perfectly organised and amazing life which as being human is completely impossible. People can isolate themselves and lose connection with the individuals and things they love in real life as they feel like they need to try harder to match that image. Selena Gomez has hundreds of millions of followers on Instagram and her statement also corroborates such issues: “I see a disconnect from real life connections to people, and that makes me a little worried. I do think social media is an amazing way to stay connected, to learn more things about what’s going on outside your little bubble, but sometimes I think it’s too much information.”

Read more on Selena’s interview: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3pLyvKfqftVkM5qSfRx9S2C/9-celebrities-who-have-struggled-with-the-pressures-of-social-media

 

Girls on social media often follow influencers and “friends” who often portray their “perfect self” on social media which is not accurate. They can use photoshop and filters to change their appearance, and this sets people up to believe that what they are seeing is a clear reflection of someone and that they are not equal or worthy like others. This is evidently shown where, according to the Guardian, 35% of girls ages 11-21 said their biggest worry online was comparing themselves to others. It makes you wonder, “does anyone other than me ever have a bad day?”

Check out more stories of girls in social media: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/23/girls-and-social-media-you-are-expected-to-live-up-to-an-impossible-standard

 

 

If we flip back to human dignity however, this result hardly upholds the values which we as Catholics should engage with. This principle should inform our choices online as we should constantly use empathy and consideration when we gaze and post on social media. So next time you take a snap and use elaborate filters to make yourself appear the best and most beautiful, think, Is this really me? Does this reflect me as a kind person? Will this picture enhance someone else’s day? If not, choose a genuine one. Remember that there is no need to show off an unrealistic depiction of your life and I believe this is something that should be seriously considered by popular influencers in the media. Because, after all, everyone deserves to feel worthy and accepted.

 

Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below and don’t forget to join the conversation on Instagram @Catholic_CTS_ and let me know what you want me to focus on next!

 

Sources:

https://www.caritas.org.au/learn/cst/dignity-of-the-human-person

 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/23/girls-and-social-media-you-are-expected-to-live-up-to-an-impossible-standard

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3pLyvKfqftVkM5qSfRx9S2C/9-celebrities-who-have-struggled-with-the-pressures-of-social-media

 

https://www.ikedacenter.org/thinkers-themes/themes/dignity/holland-essay

 

http://rediscover.archspm.org/rediscover_news/human-dignity-real-connections-essential-communication/