Essay about Identity Formation

In the last decade, technology has sparked more ways to help us communicate with others. We can manipulate our appearance or personal identity through the small portions of the internet we control. We surround ourselves with this new identity on our social platforms and we begin to think of it as real; consequently, although it appears so to the human eye, it isn’t. We only allow people to see what they want to see. Similarly, sometimes what we see can be manipulated through social media. This breeds pride, and from our pride comes an unrealistic self-expectation, which then leads to envy. 

It is fair to argue social media is among the reasons this generation struggles with living in  the real world. And because of the way we use it, it has become detrimental to society. As a result of the development of social media, many have adopted their so-called “best selves.” Although this represents a part of them and who they are, social media does not show the full picture. This leads its users to identify themselves as better than those around them. Because of the repeated mantra of our peers—such as “you're so cool; I am so proud of you; I wish I was like you”—it can trick the user into believing they are more important than others. This then places them in bondage with their new identity, which, as a result, becomes an unrealistic self-expectation they must live up to.

These new identities have led us to create false ideologies of ourselves to cover up the truth about our life. Since we have knit together a perfect façade, any spot or blemish should be destroyed, right? The user can then become envious of those that seem happy with life and free from the imaginary expectation we have put on ourselves. If the user is not careful, envy can consume them. And the user is left, trapped in a cell built by themselves, and only they have the key to leave. This is among many reasons, is why our generation struggle with living in the world.