Overcoming Image Issues and Seeking Validation on Social Media

I used to have issues with my image and when I was feeling really down I found myself seeking validation through social media. I knew it’s wrong but, I couldn’t help it. Everytime I put something up on instagram I would be nervously waiting for people to like it and comment something positive on it. I see Lacie in Black Mirror going through the same thing. She’s always seeking for approval through social media instead of just accepting herself and her family.

Since all the advancements to technology and the increased popularity in social media people have been searching for acceptance through it instead of focusing on the people around them. You can see this everywhere you go, there’s a group of friends and they’re all on their phones and taking selfies rather than talking to each other.

I cringe everytime I see someone take a photo of their food and post it on any social media… like no one cares what you’re eating and how good it tastes.

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But I still social media and I find myself going through people's feeds and occasionally finding myself wishing I was them. I would check how many followers they had and how many I have and unfollow those who unfollowed me. I understand how social media makes people's self esteem feel better when they post something and they see others liking it and commenting on it, feeling validated. In today’s society teenage girls are the ones that are commonly the ones searching validation through social media instead of just accepting who they are and loving themselves.

And social media is to blame for this. It only shows the best of people and never the bad, which makes all the people looking at these pictures and videos think that these people are perfect. Which then in turn makes them want to be just like all these perfect people on social media because then maybe their lives would be better and they would be happier. In fact it does the opposite, the pressure that they put on themselves to be perfect and happy is not healthy and it just makes them even more sad and depressed because they don’t allow themselves to be imperfect.

There's so many moments where Lacie tries really hard to make it look like her life is perfect. She doesn't let anyone see who she really is and her real personality other than her brother Ryan. in the beginning of the episode Lacie is practicing her laugh trying to make it as bubbly as possible. She also gives 5 stars to the man who made her coffee that she doesn't even like and ends up throwing it out just for him to give her 5 stars. Throughout the episode she tries to be as polite as possible but you can see that it gets harder and harder for her to keep up the facade. She has a fight with her brother which really turned things around for her.

Ryan doesn't care about the ranking system that they live in and that doesn't sit well with Lacie. Ryan says something that normally would make someone stop and think about what they are doing. He says “I am sorry, but I miss the normal you. Before this obsession, when we had conversations, remember? This whole ranking thing, just comparing yourself to people who only pretend to be happy. High fours like Naomi, I bet they're suicidal on the inside.” Lacie’s obsession with the ranking system leads her to say “ Do you know why I never brought any guys back here? Because I didn't want them to know I was sharing a skanky-ass cave with Mr. Three Point Fuck.” She lost herself in the system just like how people lose themselves in social media.

This episode of black mirror shows white deep down humanity wants, and that is to be human. The entire time Lacie is so focused on being liked and getting good ratings and it's only when she's in prison it seems like she's actually happy. Much like how when people in today society post so much on social media and pose for pictures and it's only when the cameras are off they are genuinely happy. Every person that is shown in the episode with a 4.5 and above rating are quite rude and fake with others. On the other hand we see that the people below a 4 rating are genuine and more likable, which shows the irony in what we view as “good” and “successful” in today's world.

Although there are many parallels to the way today’s society is with social media, I think that the hidden message was powerful. Lacie tries so hard to impress the wedding crowd so they would give her good ratings even while she was being dragged away by security. At that moment when she's trying so hard to regain what she's lost she loses everything and thrown in jail. One of the most realist scenes was when she and the man in the jail cell across hers were yelling at each other using profane words. At first she is offended by what he says to her and start throwing it right back as face but then she realizes that it was playful and actually freeing.

Her whole life she was living for other people much like the ones on social media today. In that cell with that man she is free to say and do whatever she wants, and she's finally genuinely happy. This last scene shows that no one is really happy pretending to be perfect and that realizing all your mistakes and loving yourself for who you truly are is what makes life good.