Divya Khan | The Chronicle
As teenagers, we often let social media control our everyday lives. The trend of “making Instagram casual again,” by making posts others might see as random and the new phrase “LARPing” (what used to be known as live-action roleplay but has now been redirected as slang for being someone you are not), have made me reflect on how much social media and how people represent themselves have changed over the past decade. We started with using apps for their intended purpose and using in-person interactions to act like ourselves. But now, we often craft an image of who we want people to see, even if it means pretending to be someone we are not.
Social media has long been a platform for people to express themselves, whether by posting a selfie or sharing a funny meme. But our generation has become increasingly dependent on others’ opinions online. Quarantine and constantly advancing technology may have contributed to this shift by making us rely more on our devices than on in-person interactions. Today, gaining approval can seem more important than sharing who we are. Social media is meant to be a creative outlet, yet it often feels like a place where people must fit a certain norm to get others to like their posts.
Recently, I have noticed that people like to craft their social media around a certain aesthetic, whether it is a color scheme or a “vibe.” Many people around me say they post only certain colors or places on social media. For example, some of my friends will choose to post an Instagram cover photo during the day but not at night, so their socials can match the aesthetic. My friends have often told me they cannot post certain things since it will not match their feed. This raises the question: Is social media still being used to share who we are?
I often hear from parents and adults that people should use social media platforms with caution by not posting anything too personal. Many would take that as posting a location or any personal information, which I agree with. Now, I feel like people are taking that word “caution” and are trying to protect their social safety rather than their actual safety. I have noticed that many people on social media tend to steer clear of posting anything that could potentially cause them to lose followers. This can be seen through posts such as advocating for a public figure that you support, but your friends don’t or a political stance that you agree with but your friends don’t.
This year, one way our generation is seeking validation is through “LARPing”. Many people have told me they “LARP” through posting about events such as concerts or dances. At those concerts, they do not know more than one song by the artist and are just there to get a picture to post so others can see where they were. And for those who chose to post at a dance, such as homecoming, they left saying they did not enjoy themselves and would have had more fun staying home. I can admit that I have fallen into the “LARPing” pattern myself. I have caught myself posting for events, like Voices of America Country Music Fest, when I, in reality, did not know most of the artists performing and only went so I could dress up, spend time and take photos with my friends just to post on my account for people to see I went like every other kid in my grade.
Though “LARPing” is pretending to do something you do not really understand, it can also be used to help. If done right, you can use “LARPing” as a “fake it until you make it” tool. For example, if you are shy and introverted but want to be more out there, you can “LARP” being confident until you feel confident. I feel like this is one of the acceptable ways to “LARP,” using it as a tool to help be yourself for others to see rather than forcing yourself to lie about what you like to get more people to like you.
I feel like the trend to “make Instagram casual again” has made a big step in the right direction toward bringing back social media’s creative abilities. Our generation needs to realize that we should not have to pretend to be someone we are not just to get validation. Who you are matters, and using social media or starting a conversation about what you like can be a way to share that with others.
While I look at LARPing or social media and see how tempting it can be to fit in by changing your answer from a no to a yes or by posting a picture at one concert instead of the other, I think that being original is not a bad thing. A trend always starts with that one person who decided to be themself, that one person who chose to be first, so why hold back? You never know what people will think of you until you just show them. In our generation, sometimes we need to choose to make that change and be the first.
