Isn’t it funny how one day that kid from target is blowing up my Instagram feed and the next it’s a bunch of cats? I think it’s tragically hilarious. While I am convinced preconceived notions of gender and race certainly do impact society, I truly believe 14 year old kids are controlling the internet.
I mean we’ve seen all the stupid things that become popular online, but why? It’s simple. Society focuses on three things: death, sex, and how to have a better life. Now am I calling these topics irrelevant? No, of course not. But why do they get all the attention?
Granted, I understand death happens, can be quite catastrophic and have implications that can last for centuries, but what about sex and a focus on improving life?
It seems to me that sex is an idealized form of expression that while mature, somehow reaches every age group. I mean have you seen the way girls in middle school dress? I swear with the amount of makeup they’re wearing they could be airbrushed Victoria’s Secret models–did you look like that at 13? I didn’t. Exactly.With such great pressures to quickly grow-up to be the next Kendall Jenner, it’s no wonder that kids are growing up so quickly.
I’m not condemning social media sites–um that’s the reason I’m even blogging right now–but I don’t agree with the overwhelming content on them. I mean I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want 50 posts about breakups on my feed and even though I don’t follow those accounts, I still get them…
Not to mention all of the ads for better skin, better hair, cuter clothes…Yes I have acne, so I’m not perfect? My hair is a bit frizzy (that’s kind of an understatement), so what if I don’t have a personal stylist to do my hair every morning–wow I’d love to have one though…And yes, I may not agree that Timberlands are the New Birkenstocks,* so what?
What is relevant to you may not be relevant to me. Life is based on perception.
So what am I saying? Sounds like I’m just ranting? Actually no…I swear what I have to say is relevant. It may not be about the three topics I generalized earlier, but it’s relevant to me. The fact is the internet is focused on blowing up the littlest aspects of life to distract us from the reality of the world we live in.
Am I one of those people who believe poverty and what’s happening in Yemen is of the upmost importance? Yes. But I also care about what Jensen Ackles is currently filming…
Just take a peek at the tags of this post and you’ll see what I mean. Look at the variety of things I mentioned…now did you get here via one of those tags? Which one? (Please comment below, I’d love to know).
But relevancy is such a strange state of being. In a moment the hottest news can go from a puppy to a guy in a towel…and I can’t help but wonder why? Is it because of the way we see ourselves or the way society sees us? Who should be the ones to fix this definition of relevancy?
Personally, I believe it is an identity issue. It’s the environment we are brought up in, it’s the time period we grow-up in, and it is the prior notions that have shaped those around us.
But honestly, I don’t have an answer.
Feel free to comment below what you think…or don’t if you’re too convinced that society’s opinion matters…
Thanks for reading!
By Veronica U-K.
*Credit to Elle Magazine
Just a Second More 
With my basic knowledge of sociology, I have only completed Sociology 101, I have to say you’re very accurate in your response. It is what we grow up with, what environment we’re in. But perhaps the bigger question is, can it change? And the answer to that is, well, of course. But only if society wants to change.
One of the biggest problems with current society is that we don’t see what we don’t want to see. Sounds a little confusing, but think of it like this. What is more likely to make you happy? A 15 minute clip of a war, or a 30 second clip of a cute kitten? Perhaps for sociopaths, the war would be more pleasing, but for most, the cute cats are. Humans by nature are always looking for something more pleasing or to make their appearance more pleasing. Hell, I’d say anyone who doesn’t want to be happy is insane, happiness is a fantastic feeling! But at the same time, when we focus on happy things, we become ignorant. We forget. Our issue isn’t so much an identity issue, as much as a mood issue.
Our society is comprised of some very depressed people. I can’t tell you how many people I know who are on medication for depression, and they aren’t even 20 yet! One of our problems is is that we’re focusing so much on short-term happiness and not enough on long term. Sure, that cat video may have made you happy for a minute, an hour, a day. But is that video going to make you happy next week? Next year? Same thing with clothes. Sure, you looked good for that day. But looking good that day doesn’t mean (in your head) that you don’t have to try tomorrow to look good, too. As a society, we look into so much of these short-term things, and while important, it shifts our attention from our long term goals. When’s the last time you talked to anyone that really has ambition? That’s enthusiastic where they’re going to end up? There are very few people like that. Why? It’s not a societal norm. In our society, the norm is get a fair paying job and have a family. That’s is what people see as happiness. But when they get to that point, they realize that’s not truly happiness. Sure, they achieved a goal, but it is a goal set by society rather than themselves.
I guess my main point is that we’re taught to live by societal norms and not through one’s own ambition. We focus so much on becoming the norm of society because we see that as happiness, but not our own person.
As for the tags question… Didn’t get here from tags, got here from your Twitter, haha.
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