SOCIAL MEDIA IS BOTH HELPFUL AND HARMFUL. ON THE ONE HAND, AN ACADEMIC LANGUAGE LIKE WHITENESS, WHITE SUPREMACY, PRISON REFORM, PRISON ABOLITION, AND FEMINISM ARE ACCESSIBLE DUE TO THE INTERNET. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE PROLIFERATION OF IMAGES CREATES INSECURITIES AND DEPRESSION IN OTHERS. ACCORDING TO, (VOGEL ET. AL.,2014) [1]CHRONIC USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER TRAIT SELF-ESTEEM. IN LAYMAN’S TERMS WHAT YOU CONSUME IMPACTS YOUR SELF-IMAGE AND LIKE MY THERAPIST STATES NO MATTER WHERE YOUR SELF-ESTEEM IS YOU DON’T WANT IT TO GO ANY LOWER.
ONE CULTURAL IMAGE INFLUENCED BY THE WAVE OF FEMINIST RHETORIC ONLINE IS THE “SAVAGE” AKA “THE MAN-EATER”. THE SAVAGE LOOK MAGICAL LIKE RIHANNA. SHE SEES THROUGH THE BULL SHIT, FACES PAIN BRAVELY, AND BOUNCES BACK AFTER EVERY SETBACK. SHE IS SELF-SERVING, SELFISH, AND HAS ZERO TIME FOR MEN. SHE ALWAYS HAPPENS UPON GREATNESS AND NEEDS NO ONE BUT HERSELF. THE SAVAGE OR THE MAN-EATER IS CAREFULLY CURATED, WITH NO ORIGIN STORY, NO JOURNEY, AND NO FUTURE.
THE SAVAGE DOES NOT ACTUALLY EXIST, BECAUSE PEOPLE GO THROUGH COMPLEX PROCESSES INCLUDING FAILURE TO FIND THEMSELVES AND DEVELOP SELF-ESTEEM. LIKE EVERYONE ELSE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, SHE DOES NOT PROVIDE US WITH HER LIST OF FAILURES. SHE ONLY PRESENTS THE BEST ASPECTS OF HERSELF. WE DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DEVELOPED HER SELF-ESTEEM. MOST OF OUR DEVELOPMENT IS IMPACTED BY THE FAMILY, AND WE HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT THAT. WE ONLY KNOW THE PRESENTATION AND THE MESSAGES WE DERIVE FROM THAT IMAGE. MESSAGES THAT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, STATE SHE INFALLIBLE BECAUSE SHE STRUGGLES WITH NOTHING AND YOU ARE INADEQUATE BECAUSE YOU ARE ALWAYS STRUGGLING.
THE PRESENTATION OF OTHERS HAS US ALL TRAPPED IN A CYCLE OF LOW SELF-ESTEEM, CONSUMERISM, AND SELF-INDULGENCE AND WE DO IT TO BE THE IDEAL WOMAN THAT NO ONE ACTUALLY KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT. WE CHASE A SHELL, AN IMAGE, A PROJECTION, AND GO BROKE FROM CHASING THAT. BUT WE DO NOT SEE NOR HEAR ABOUT HER HEARTACHE, HEARTBREAK, FALL FROM GRACE, THE LOW-SELF-ESTEEM AS A RESULT OF THAT, THE WORK IT TOOK TO GET OUT OF THAT. WE SIMPLY SEE THE IMAGE AND THEN COMPARE OURSELVES TO SOMETHING THAT IS VOID OF ACTUAL HUMANITY.
TO BE HUMAN IS TO HAVE A STORY OF FAILURE, HEARTBREAK, AND LOW SELF-ESTEEM. TO BE POWERFUL OR STRONG IS TO HAVE A STORY OF OVERCOMING THAT. TO BE A SAVAGE IS TO LIE ABOUT LIFE AND DENY THIS PROCESS TO PRESENT A STRONG FACE TO THE WORLD. DON'T LET A MODEL OR AN IMAGE DWINDLE YOU DOWN AND MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU AREN'T DOING ENOUGH. IF YOU ARE HONORING YOURSELF, YOU ARE DOING ENOUGH.