"I think therefore I share." In modern times, replacing Descartes famous quote makes it perfect to represent the world of appearances we are immerse into. In 1637, on Discourse on the Method, the rationalist René Descartes argued that the perceptions of our senses are deceiving and misplaced, that we could be living a dream or being orchestrated by an evil genius. So, the only certain he had was that the ability to think is an escape left for mankind: I think, therefore I exist. Therefore, it’s easy to relate what happened centuries ago to the day of today – the massive personal exposition and sharing that takes place on social media is comparable to our deceiving senses; and we start to wonder if that is true, or if I am being presented with blurred versions of a deeper and different truth.
Danger of social status
The Netflix Original, Black Mirror, shows a perfect example of this Liquid Modernity; more specifically on Nosedive, our main character Lacie Pound lives in a reality in which all of your opportunities in life are determined by your social status: it’s like imagining I can only work for a certain company if I also have many likes on Facebook, Instagram or tons of replies on Twitter. So, as we watch a fake reality built, Lacie is nice to people to get good evaluations, although she lies about her feelings and sustains pointless relationships for the goal of being a 4.8 of 5 stars. Also, we’re presented with the psychology principle of the hedonic treadmill, which represents a stable state of happiness, not being affected by actions we suffer in daily life.
Sure, there’s a boost of happiness for a job promotion or excellent grades, but at the end of the day you're running on that treadmill and you're not getting anywhere in terms of long-term happiness. For Lacie (and sadly for us) sharing and liking is just a part of our own treadmill.
The conclusion
In the end, by a series of “condemnable” actions, Lacie ends up discredited and with very low score.
Besides that, it’s the first in a long time she actually gets to be her true self, with a sincere smile and a content after laughter face. Maybe one day we’ll all be as unattached as her, or we just might end up on the same endless treadmill, despite have being told about it. The show will likely awaken most of us from living life under the social media pull or just live away from it.
Although one cannot argue that being 'liked' on your posts can boost your day, it is quite dangerous to a point in which you live on with it like a fuel. Tread carefully, or more importantly, live freely.
