I was having a conversation with a colleague earlier this week….all about social media, and its impact on the younger generation, especially.
It’s not a new topic by any stretch, and the irony of it being bemoaned by someone who actually works IN social media, is not lost on me.
The truth is though, that as much as there are aspects of this platform that provide value and serve a purpose, this isn’t enough to stop me pinning all hopes not just on it ultimately ‘fizzling out’…but on social culture going ‘full circle’ as well!
This lifestyle 360 would see - in particular - the problems of the playground once again confined to the parameters of the school gates, and not siphoned via smartphone into the sanctity of home.
This is my highly-unlikely-to-ever-become-a-reality ideology, but in the absence of it actually happening, parents and caregivers are left with the challenge of how (just HOW exactly!!) to inoculate the next generation’s self-esteem, against the corrosive effects of ‘curated’ content.
The answer, I’ve no doubt, is more multi-faceted than an Instagram caption could ever begin to give credit to.
As well…I am no expert in this topic.
However, as a parent, instinct tells me that if anything is going to help prevent the next generation of Instagram users buying into the myth of perfect…it’s by reinforcing them against it from the inside out.
Whilst contemplating this topic and its potential post-worthyness earlier today, I stumbled across THIS audio, and took it as a sign.
Why?
Because it encapsulates perfectly the kind of self-talk which - perhaps if engrained enough, early enough - can give those next-gen social media users NOT armed with age-acquired apathy (myself included), the tools to shut down the ‘compare and despair’ cycle at source, and recognise this showreel platform, for the nonsense that it often is!