Between all the Snapchat filters and Instagram reels, where does the love for our own self stand in this century?
By Catalina Sainz
Constantly, I am reminded of my own shortcomings by the flood of images that bombard me as I scroll through my feed. The world as seen through the prism of social media is a utopia of unreachable ideals, full of picture-perfect faces and wonderful landscapes. However, upon closer examination, this illusion fades and leaves behind a sense of emptiness inside me. But my shoulders are burdened with more than simply the appearance of beauty. A poisonous undercurrent of rivalry and comparison lurks beneath the surface, using followers and likes as money in the “dignity trade”. We judge our worth in this digital age not by the depth of our character, but by the hollowness of our online persona, which feeds into a vicious cycle of fear and hatred.
Therefore, we are unable to liberate ourselves from the chains of societal expectations and end up caught in a never-ending cycle of self-loathing. We present a picture of success and happiness to the outside world while sinking under the weight of our own insecurity, hiding our doubts behind a façade of confidence.
However, in this digital dystopia, it is not just our connection with ourselves that suffers. Our toxic impact of not being able to love ourselves seeps into every area of our lives, contaminating the source of human connection. Looking at ourselves, we can find millions of errors, starting from the size of our nose to our intellectual capability. We even find it difficult to keep up deep connections because we are afraid of seeming vulnerable and imperfect, which makes us feel even more alone. We are lost in a sea of apathy, longing for human connection but unable to cross the vast ocean that divides us from one another, in a world that is getting colder by the day. In an attempt to protect ourselves from the hurt of rejection and abandonment, we barricade our hearts, but all we manage to accomplish is lengthen the loneliness that impacts our generation.
I can’t help but worry as I stare into the void of uncertainty: will we always be held captive by our own fears, caught in a perpetual web of insecurity and comparison on the internet? Will we ever have the guts to accept the beauty of our own humanity and release ourselves from the clutches of social expectation?
The path ahead is unclear and full with obstacles. But even if I find myself in a dilemma, I hold onto the hope that one day we will find the courage to go through the acceptance we deserve and come out on the other side, damaged but wanting to heal, prepared to face the complexity of our own existence. Until then, I’m still just waiting, wandering in the unknown, looking for answers in a world that doesn’t have any.
Hi, society 