A Letter to My Past Self: The Awakening of Social Media 😮📱
By: Christopher Vo
Tags: Stories, Instagram, Social Media, Influencers, Facebook

Source: Josh Rose (https://unsplash.com/photos/YitmKp5-xZc)

Dear 10-year-old Chris,

Since it’s 2009, you’re probably too busy woodcutting on Runescape right now, but hear me out — MSN is going to die. Facebook is gonna be overrun by boomers and ads. And this new social media app called Instagram is soon going to take over the world. Don’t worry, you can cry over the death of MSN and sending nudges to your friends after.

MSN Nudge GIF // Source: Pinterest

Oh silly me, I forgot to introduce myself: I am you from the year 2020. I come with a strong warning about social media. The world has succumbed to it. Social media is everywhere. It’s on your phone. It’s on your computer. It’s your friends. Imagine going on a nice vacation with your family, but literally, every single one of them is just on their phones mindlessly scrolling at the beach. You included.

This is the current state of social media, and I want you to be prepared.

You’ll notice that, as the years go by, people will become more and more comfortable with the idea of posting themselves on the Internet for others to see. You’ll be able to peer into the exciting lives of celebrities, athletes, and your friends through their stories!

But at the same time, this is going to make you feel shitty about yourself. You’ll ask yourself, “What the hell am I doing with my own life? Why can’t I do that? Why can’t I look like that?” I mean, how do you not compare your life to those who travel around the world whenever they want and go to the beach all the time? You see it literally every day.

Refresh. Scroll. Refresh. Scroll.

Accurate representation of my main smartphone activity // Source: https://giphy.com/hollywoodlovestory

The Internet is going to become a place that is concentrated with a lot of hatred, cyberbullying, and judging. You’re going to meet these so-called “influencers” and cringe at them. You’re also going to find that a lot of people on social media and the things they post about are very inauthentic. This can range from clickbait content for views, to the people who share nothing but the absolute happiest aspects of their life, like getting a new job or graduating from university. Of course, there’s no possible way of knowing that these same people are really going through the worst breakup of their lives, suffering from depression, or grieving the loss of a loved one.

Some may even be inclined to edit their face or body in pictures to make themselves “look better”. It’s all just for show.

I hope I didn’t scare you off, Chris… Because, despite its flaws, social media isn’t all that horrible.

The whole point of social media is to share and connect with others, no matter where you are in the world. And social media in 2020 helps you do exactly that. Even if you get really anxious about starting conversations with people in real life, it has never been easier to “slide” into someone’s DMs or reply to someone’s story and just start talking!

This year, I found myself using social media mainly to promote and share content about my fourth-year thesis film, “RIPEN”. Audiences from around the world have been actively engaging with our posts, which would not have been possible if it weren’t for social media.

A post I shared on Instagram about my thesis film.

Despite the dark side of social media, there’s still a lot of good that can come from it! Don’t be afraid to share your life and connect with others. This was the intention from the beginning! And of course, disconnect from social media sometimes! You don’t always have to be online all the time. If it’s used properly, it is one of the most powerful tools at your fingertips (literally!).

Oh yeah, and emojis are a thing. But that’s a whole other story.

Wear a mask,

Christopher Vo has liked a message.