Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling. I get sucked into the online world of social media within seconds. Seeing people having fun at parties, watching others go out to lunch, people getting their vaccine. Everyone seems happy. Which is good, right? The pandemic hurt so many people in so many ways. The isolation, the despair, the negative thoughts; social media is a way to stay connected and bring people together. These are all true comments until it becomes more of a competition than a way to stay connected. Who can get the most likes, who posts the most, who goes to the most parties… social media has turned into a mindless way to show others how well you are doing. The online world has become a place of competition and homogeneity, especially during this pandemic.

      The pandemic has allowed people to have a lot of free time. I know for me, I can get lost with the amount of time I’m on Instagram or Snapchat, and I know a lot of people, especially my generation, can agree. These platforms have been a way for people to connect and feel connected to others. There are a lot of upsides to social media. For example, people are starting to finally stand up for what they believe in. The BLM movement took over Instagram for months. People were posting their own experiences, and many people were reposting and educating themselves on the racism our country has dealt with for so long. Our generation has been able to benefit in this sense, we are becoming less and less ignorant, and at least for me, social media has been a big part of this education. 

     On the other hand, there are many downsides to the increase in the use of social media. Conformity is a huge, and real part of these platforms. There shouldn’t be a certain image everyone has to fit, and now with editing apps, there is. It’s unrealistic that everyone is happy, skinny, and tan all the time. We are all different people, and to see so many people trying to fit an “ideal form” makes me sad. Everyone is different, and that’s what makes everyone beautiful. Social media encourages conformity. It shouldn’t be this way. As people emerge from quarantine, most are posing the same things and looking the same way. Since there was such prominent isolation because of the pandemic, people just want to be a part of something, even if that means they act and look the same as everyone else. People wear the same clothes, work out with the same routines, travel to the same places, bake the same recipes; everything seems to be the same. Even with activism, it’s almost become a trend now to repost for Palestine or BLM. People will post the same posts just to let others know they care, rather than educating themselves and trying to learn. I know I’ve fallen subject to these trends. If I see a girl post in a cute shirt, I might look for a similar one. These things add up and soon enough I have a whole wardrobe similar to the rest of the girls in my grade. I compare myself to other girls, trying to see if I’m skinny enough or if my skin is clear enough. This comparative and competitive environment is not good for anyone. Being online should be a place of encouragement and building one another up! Social media should encourage uniqueness, not homogeneity. 

     At the end of the day, we can't blame social media for all of our societal problems. The pandemic has affected people in so many terrible ways, the increase in social media and homogeneity is just one. As people have started coming out of lockdown, there’s this expectation that you have done enough and look a certain way. I hope that people start to realize that no one is the same and that on these platforms we can embrace the diversity that we all have.