7 minute read
THE ILLUSION of SOCIAL NETWORKS
THE WRITTEN WORD
THE ILLUSION of SOCIAL NETWORKS
Advertisement
By Maja Damjanovska Momiroska
My favourite quote from Albert Einstein. The whole world’s reality and truth “lies” in this sentence. Will we talk about the truth/reality, or the illusion hidden in it? Reality is just a kind of perception of the contrast of the world. What do we choose to soak up daily, along with our morning coffee, our morning awakening ritual, and the process of guiding the consistency of our thoughts? Regardless of whether we clear our mind through meditation or ascend to ordinary surrounding sounds, we sip a little of the first thing we read in the morning. Do you dose yourself carefully with everything you see at the beginning of the day? Or do you enjoy diving into the ocean of uncertain situations and internet portions carelessly served behind your clicks?
The illusion of social networks, whether we like it or not, is an integral part of our daily lives. Can we avoid consuming it? Or, to put it more precisely, do we want to avoid the daily dose of illusion? I firmly believe that we are the creators of our lives, and therefore we all live under different definitions of life. The universe sends us signals, in various contours, shapes and forms, helping us to stay on our course of life. The whole of our manifestation and life vibration is our choice. Do we transfer it in the internet vacuum as well? No matter what the answer to my last question, every consumer here experiences us differently. However, the (un)real image created between the truth and the intention for a dazzling filtered and dribbled display is our conscious image creation. That much is clear. But I am curious to fully uncover and explore the impulse that is created in those who consume our image in the Internet mirror.
Do we observe our self-knowledge through the prism of the online character we represent, or do we have a deeply expressed self-awareness and know exactly what we are creating? Do we love ourselves enough without filters, without likes and virtual applause? Are we creating magic or a fib? How much time do we spend creating virtual happiness and do we forget to enjoy the real pleasures?
It seems that lately, raising awareness about mental health is gaining momentum in the world of social
media. I applaud the courage to talk about the fall as much as the climb because that is the truth. And I love the truth. The conclusion I came to from my internet observation is that one person eexperiences the fall as something gut-wrenching, whereas another looks at it as if jumping on a trampoline. And the new fall is just a new state of facing the earth’s gravity before rising again. Still, the laws of nature are the same for all of us. It is only our vibration that is different. A look at someone’s profile by several people paints a different picture. In fact, we all witness different realities.
According to the latest data from January this year published at Data Reportal of a survey conducted on the target group of 16 to 64 years of age, respondents stated that their main reason for using the Internet is finding information (61%). Education and studyrelated reasons are at the low 10th place on this list, with 42.3%. Staying in touch with friends and family ranks second (55.2%) on the list of the most common reasons for using the Internet.
The needs, desires, and interests of respondents to this research who were 18 years old, are certainly significantly different from those who are, for example, 60 years old. That difference must be taken into account in any further analysis.
But what confuses me is that the same research shows that the top types of websites visited, and apps used are chat and messages (95.6%) in the first place, followed by social networks (95.2%). Education is in the 16th place (only 26.5%) on this list. Whether we like to admit it or not, social media has risen to the grassroots level. It has become the core of communications, the core of information, the core of social connections, the core of illustrations and frustrations. Not to be misunderstood, I have nothing against this fact. I am just looking for a rational way to deal with my own thirst for consumption.
A multitude of people are so engaged with social media that they do not even have time to think about the impact it has on them. Unfortunately, we are witnessing many unpleasant events related to the young population
16 | eYs Magazine, Winter 2022
and the negative impact of social networks. The number of likes as a determinant of success, filtered images of beautiful places as a model for comparison with peers, affected smiles instead of real feelings… give birth to challenges (it is a word I use to describe a problem, but I call it a challenge) such as addiction or lack of privacy.
The awareness of the illusory reality is the first step towards the liberation we need. That’s the essence we need - awareness, avoiding comparison except with our version of yesterday. But at the same time, it’s nice to keep in touch, rejoice in shared successes, or receive a positive vibe. I believe that we can live perfectly in this unlimited space of social media and internet relations if we have the wisdom necessary to use them. Information can be poison or food; it is our choice. If we embrace the philosophy that we should be careful with what we feed our minds, then we come out of the impasse of
all that is described above. Here I use “be careful” in the sense of a responsible vigilance towards our child. Because our mind is both our parent and our child. It leads us to the path of self-knowledge as a parent, but the food we provide for it (what we read/see/think/ experience) should be selected carefully, as we would for our child.
Is it may be possible that during your self-care, you will come across someone who will tell you that you are selfish? That you pay too much attention to yourself, that you think too much about what to soak up with your mind, that are you too self-focused on yourself? Great! Selfishness means vibratory harmony with oneself. To understand all this, we must know who we are. The famous motivational speaker Esther Hicks explains that “self” is a source, “self” is purified positive energy, “self” is worthy, “self” is clearminded, “self” is healthy, “self” is full of vitality, “self “is eager about
life. We need to be selfish enough to care about how we feel. That is why it is important to know how to recognize that illusory reality. To know how to jump like a little child in the rain while reading and watching, while posting and telling stories, while admiring or maybe envying. To know how to go around the puddle while it is raining, but also to resolutely jump in one while preserving only the positive that our “self” needs. No matter how curiously we seek new horizons, to live only in our illusory reality.
And after a period of working on yourself, outside of the goal of globally liking at the “cloud” space and achieving true satisfaction, if someone says, “You have changed”, hug them as tightly as possible and say, “Thank you so much”. That is precisely the point - to change, to grow daily unburdened by likes and unrealistic images. Because today’s world needs us pure, real, and self-aware.
17 | eYs Magazine, Winter 2022
