Unfollow: what social media means to me, a bored millennial

The age of globalization; for the first time in history, billions of people across the world have unlimited access to information at their fingertips. Tell this to a caveman and they’d think we’re gods, tell this to advanced life forms on galaxies far away and they‘d *telepathically* call us amoeba. Nonetheless, Homosapiens are all about ego and social media has deeply rooted its tentacles into our collective subconscious. Dramatic? Perhaps. Far-fetched? Not at all. Big tech whistleblowers have already come forward, exposing our most beloved platforms for questionable and invasive practices (if you haven’t explored this already, watching The Social Dilemma on Netflix is a good place to start).

Where does this leave us? Are we ultimately doomed, at the mercy of AI and brainwashing algorithms? Errrr, probably. We love it! From the moment social media was born the world has forever changed, and with it came a BIG can of worms. At first, it was revolutionary- the closest thing to teleportation available. We have access to places, events, people, and even foreign planets. We no longer need to spend hundreds of dollars to get a glimpse of Burning Man or Yacht Week in Croatia, we just look them up. Everyone has an opportunity to express themselves and showcase their private lives on public profiles, especially our favorite celebrities. It helps create a sense of community, togetherness, and transparency. That is, until we f*cked it all up.

Let’s be honest, it’s a game-changing business tool and a key ingredient in modern interpersonal relationships. However, find this tool in the hands of a monster, a troll if you will, and it’s now a weapon of mass destruction. Cyber bullying is a real problem with real consequences, but only exists in artificial worlds. Weird. Meanwhile, communication between friends, family, partners, etc. has now been dulled down to DMs and the exchanging of memes. You don’t have to look far to find data on the negative impact it’s having on older and younger generations alike, or how increased screen time is correlated to spikes in anxiety, depression, and attention deficit. It’s what we use to fill ”empty time”, but in reality we’re just mindlessly exposing ourselves to misinformation, censorship, and unrealistic expectations. Simply put, the line needs to be drawn and no one‘s going to draw it for you.

With all that being said, I decided to take this familiar conflict and create my first project. The images for this series mirror the glamorous, dark, morphed world that is social media. She is stunning. Her body is otherwise perfectly disproportionate (thanks to editing of course). She is being strangled by her phone charger, suffocated by the pressure she feels to stay on and remain relevant. She is locked in on her phone screen and the real world around her fades to darkness. She cries a single like icon because that is where her self-worth lies. She wears the word ”Unfollow” across her chest because it’s her only defense mechanism online. She’s lonely, she's bored, but then she kicks in the screen, escapes her made-up world, and remembers how it feels to be alive. By no means am I against social media. I truly believe it has created a lot of good and is an excellent way to spread love, kindness, inclusivity, and awareness. Where I find myself feeling lost and confused is in the impulse and the aftermath. Social media is meant to connect us, but that’s not what crosses my mind when I reach for my phone at a red light or in the elevator with a stranger. This is when it feel like a crutch, like I’m not mentally equipped to handle a moment of stillness or silence, and once I finally dig myself out of the rabbit hole I feel disappointed to have lost so much time scrolling. Still, in the moment it’s so hard to stop. So here’s my proposition: let’s start using social media with intention and purpose by setting specific goals with time restrictions. For every minute we spend scrolling in a week, we should also read, volunteer, get active, or partake in any other healthy feel-good habits. If a friend posts something you feel inclined to interact with, go the extra mile and give them a call. Catch up and have a conversation about it! Socialize beyond the screen, and always remember that what you see isn’t necessarily what is. Being mindful can help reshape how and why we use social media, and will also put pressure on platforms to make decisions that help benefit humanity and not just their CEO’s pockets. It’s time we coexist, for the good of all. This is the ZOMBAES way.

Thank you for reading my first blog entry, I am honored and proud to have the freedom to do so.