The blurred line between reality and social media

Set one more place at the table this Christmas, as social media continues to remain prominent in our lives.

Christmas is finally here — a holiday where most will get the chance to spend some quality time with not only their family and loved ones, but their social media accounts too. Whether it’s drooling over the sight of Christmas dinners on Snapchat or comparing who has ended up with the biggest pile of presents on Instagram, social media will be very much part of the family on Christmas day.

This startling statistic indicates that as a society we seem to have immersed ourselves into the world of social media. Back in the 1980s, virtual social communities made their debut, however the development of technology in recent years has left us with a far more extensive form of social media than ever before.

We are spending copious amounts of time shaping and moulding our ideal reality for the sake of social media. We have the constant desire to express ourselves through social media platforms, in an attempt to make ourselves feel some form of self-worth and value. But are these online identities the real us? And for whose benefit are we creating these identities for? It seems that we may be spending too much time in the virtual world and not living in the moment in the real world.

On Christmas day many will be sat with their families, with their phone placed on their laps, on the table next to them or charging somewhere ready for use again soon (this goes for both children and adults). Don’t get me wrong, there are a number of benefits that social media can have, especially during the holiday season, but these positives do not come without the negatives.

Positives

Negatives

It is clear that as a society, we have become fixated with virtual reality. Social media is only going to get more powerful, and while it has its pros, make sure you don’t let it absorb all of your attention this Christmas.

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