“ Don't change who you are because you like how the filter makes you look.” - Unknown

Social media today has created a new face to everyone. Offers a new solution that we as a society believe can fix any issue. Big or small, social media has the magic fix. 

It has been proven that millennials are on social media almost ten times more than they were back in 2010, however that was also before everyone developed the need to have the best of the best. This theory has been tested and it was recorded that 88% of millennials are on social media today. Now, with that being said it has also “Been recorded that the average american internet user has about 7.1 social media accounts and that 87% 0f the average american adults aged from eighteen to twenty-nine said that giving up social media would be harder than being able to quit smoking”. 

Age has a great impact to a person's personality development and social media, especially today; will and can cause a defect. While most people believe that personality defects occur mainly when struggle and hardship is occuring. Now, some people believe that it's only younger people who are affected by the downfalls and mental games that social media have. With that being said, it is stated by the Pew Research Center, “roughly two-thirds of U.S adults are social media users along with the exception that those who are sixty-five and older are only one-third of social media users.” This shows that no matter the age that people have made social media a part of their everyday lives.  

Social media is changing on a daily basis and society today has created an environment to want the best of the best as a norm. New studies have shown that excessive use of social media can promote the development of Narcissistic Personality Disorders. There have been a numerous amount of people that have been diagnosed with depression that also have Narcissistic Personality Disorder. My personal opinion is that instead of people building themselves from their accomplishments and experience, they build themselves off the number of likes, comments, the snap scores, the followers. 

I was once told that social media gives us the easy way out. We spend time editing pictures and making adjustments that in the end are nothing like the original. Social media in my eyes is a false reality. A cover or filter ( you get the pun ;)) to hide the inside look on what your or our lives really consist of. Social media is becoming a platform for people to reinvent themselves. There is a quote that struck out to me due to the fact that this is the reality of what we choose to not pay attention too.  “ Judgmental when it comes to attractiveness; self esteem becomes damaged by the amount of likes - or lack thereof - a selfie receives. Compliments, once upon a time, used to come from face-to-face interaction.”

Social media is allowing our self-image to become directly linked with our self-worth and self-esteem. With that being said, social media’s affect on our everyday lives go down to the littlest and simplest things. Things that are apart of our everyday lives that we don't pay much attention too. The littlest things such as, the way we dress, the way we speak, the food we eat,  how we exercise, our social activities, our views of the world, our own taste in music, what our appearance is, the amount of time with friends and family and the amount of times spent with our pets. 

After researching this topic, ive learned a lot to be honest. Social media itself is not a personality defect but it sure is a gateway to one. We as a society have grown and adapted to social media developing a ranking system for the people. It has already become a outet created for an escape from reality. I personally believe that this topic is one that will continue to grow and change. 

The filters we use will never be able to resort back to the original.