My relationship with social media can be described in one word: toxic. I was exposed to the media at age fourteen. Being surrounded by peers who had it years before me, I felt behind. As a child, social media felt like a “secret club.” Parents warned you from becoming too invested and tried to prevent the exposure of influencers from their innocent-minded children for as long as possible. Then society got in the way.
Anything from fashion trends, makeup hacks, and cat videos, the algorithm caters to each video, each comment, and each post to you. It targets your insecurities, your interests, and your passions. When you download the app, there is no cost. But is it truly free if you're selling your information to an algorithm that gets closer and closer to your inner thoughts and ideas? Yet we go about our day knowing what's happening but not genuinely caring.