In an era like today’s, social media has become a way of life. It has been incorporated into daily routines, and it has rerouted future plans. No one strives to be anything realistic anymore. Everyone wants to be the next Instagram model or someone who is Vine and Snapchat famous. This scenario especially applies to African-American teens and teens in urban communities.
The first thing we do in the event of an altercation is grab our phones to record and post. We post our clothes, food, relationship statuses, personal problems, and even our location on social media for our “followers” to see. What we are really doing is feeding into society’s stereotypes of African Americans. While we use these social websites and apps to post degrading content, people are making thousands and millions of dollars just watching you do all the work. They continue to make money as long as they can find a way to keep us tuned in.
We’re stressing out our minds and bodies over illusions. So allow me to set the record straight. Majority of the time, that money that you see someone showing off is probably their child support check. That “IG Couple” that you’re aspiring to be like is most likely not even real.
Without realizing, we have been bringing others entertainment by sharing our personal business and personal struggles. We as teens and adults must learn that in an era like today’s, the best thing we can do is maintain our mystery. Everything isn’t meant be shared with the public. Every social encounter isn’t meant to be made into social media.
NOTE: This article was originally printed in the 2016 April/May Issue of Opus Cultural Lifestyle Magazine.
