Social media and our need to become idols

The increasing degree with which social media is consuming our culture is rapidly threatening the intersectional aspect of community. Those we once esteemed on a personal level we now dismiss in exchange for strangers who possess the lifestyles, possessions, or qualities we envy. We use social media not only to idolize these strangers, however, but to in turn elevate ourselves to the position of idols. We post photos seeking "likes" and glorifying comments as affirmation; we put our lives up for public display, but through a screen where we can determine what is omitted from this representation. We claim to have these forms of social media to keep in contact, but for many of us, they simply excuse us from having to return the attention of others and simply feed off of receiving it. We no longer selflessly approach others to uplift and fully see and understand them, but act out of a continuous need for praise. This growing problem increasingly strips humanity of the true experience of communitas, which offers unity and equality, and submerges us into a realm of self-absorption and instant-gratification.

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