Social Media Transparency
By: Krutika Surve
Social media is a performative platform. Everything is fabricated, twisted and displayed in front of an audience. What started as a way to connect has become a form of theater. We want to depict the life that we wish we had, focusing on that 20% that we deem worthy of sharing. I like to compare the use of social media to an actor. We all know that actors are, most of the time, not in character. They don’t wear full designer outfits with their hair and makeup done to the bank or the grocery store. When they are in character, that’s when we get to see them. Even when they are in interviews, they are playing a part to promote their work. This is a specific version of them that is publicized. Our social media personas are publicized versions of ourselves. If I feel like I look pretty in one picture, and not so great in another, I want to post the pretty one. Both of them are pictures of me, but for the sake of “realism”, I don’t care to post that not-so-flattering picture. I know I don’t look like that picture all the time, that’s why I want to share it. It’s part of the performance.
It took me a long time to figure out how to use social media in a way that it was not detrimental to my health. Growing up with social media, you base your self-worth off of it and it’s debilitating. After years of trial and error, looming insecurities and loneliness, I now have a handle on how to use it. For me, I needed a wall. I did not need to display every waking thought I carried. I did not need to document every time I went on vacation or spent time with my friends, which I used to do for some form of validation. Others may like to do this and that’s their prerogative. But for me, building those boundaries was necessary.
Now comes the conversation of transparency on social media. Some people don’t have those barriers. Some don’t need them. If you want to post about your struggles, by all means. There have been cases where transparency regarding mental health, body image, anything remotely personal allows people to understand that they are not alone in their struggles. The more you talk about these things, the more you realize that you’re not alone and a lot of these feelings are universal. Mental illness has been viewed as a taboo subject and talking about it can remove the stigma.
I would argue that while transparency on social media platforms can help in terms of starting the conversation, displaying yourself like that in public may not be entirely beneficial to you. Some would believe that if you’re not transparent about your struggles then you’re “hiding the truth”. Putting up that wall can go two ways: one results in isolating yourself even more and, the other allows you to create barriers and develop into the person that you want to be. My social media shows my impulsive, carefree and confident persona. That’s the person I want to put out into the world. Sure, she only comes out once in a blue moon, but that’s okay. I need that boundary set for myself because it’s one of the few things I can control. I’m going to hold on to that.
The stigma surrounding mental health has not stemmed from the people I see on social media. I do not expect the people that I follow to live the lives they are displaying on the internet, because I am not doing that either. Social media has been around long enough that individuals, specifically millennials and gen z, understand the subtext brought onto social media. We understand the nuances of the performative aspects it brings because we are the ones doing the performing. We are both the actors and the audience members. If, in the case that speaking out about your struggles on social media helps you, then by all means do what’s best for you. Sure, you want people to know they are not alone. You’re starting a conversation. That’s fantastic. But in terms of serving ourselves and our mental health, how are we helping ourselves by displaying it on a performative platform? I do not want people to read my journal, let alone have it on a public forum.
I’m not saying I’m bottling everything up and never speaking about these things. I believe it’s a matter of when and where. Where and when do I feel the most comfortable in sharing my thoughts within a safe space. Writing helps me a lot and I do talk about my struggles on this particular platform. Although, this is not social media for me. This is an entirely separate part of who I am on the Internet. Another barrier is place. Neither one is inauthentic but rather just focusing on different aspects of who I am. On The Stories We Need To Hear, I want to discuss my mental health and what I am learning from it. It is as beneficial to me as it could be to others. I don’t think I can get that same fulfillment from Instagram or Twitter. My relationship with Instagram and Twitter is similar to LinkedIn. It’s serving a very distinct purpose.
Having those barriers in places allows me control on how I want to be presented into the world. My Twitter persona is vastly different than my Instagram and my Stories We Need To Hear is different than my Instagram. All are still me. At this moment in time, I’m still figuring out my mental health journey and learning what’s best for me. I need to figure out myself what’s going on and how I can move on. The thought of breaking down those barriers and exposing myself on a public forum just doesn’t feel as beneficial in that journey. Speaking about my struggles with my loved ones is what helps me. Social media is very self-sufficient. I don’t see the people I’m connected with aiding me within that journey because it’s a performative platform. On social media, I want to display the person that I want to be. Is that hiding the truth? Am I lying or being deceiving? Maybe, but that’s the whole point.
