What Role Does Social Media Play In The Era Of Isolation?
“Since we’ve gone into isolation and in some cases, started working from home (or #iso, #wfh as they are more commonly known) there has been a huge shift in the way that I interact with myself ….
Just as we have been asked to stay inside, my thoughts seem to have gone inwards. This increased introspection has led to feelings of uncertainty, as the things I once did to occupy myself have shifted and life almost stripped bare. Because of this, I feel that I am calling into question who I really am, as so much of that is caught up in what we ‘do’. On top of this, I’m feeling increasing pressure as to what I ‘should’ be doing and experiencing during this time. This is both mirrored and exacerbated by social media. Whilst at times, social media provides a sense of connection and a more pleasant alternative to the narrative being provided by traditional media outlets, it can also, as we are probably all too familiar, provide an unrealistic yard stick for which we measure ourselves by to see if we are doing it ‘right’.
If you were to look at social media at the moment you wouldn’t be mistaken for thinking the entire Western world is baking, doing manicures, living in loungewear, exercising in matching exercise gear, organising perfectly mismatched crockery and following the latest TikTok dance trends. You are less likely to see crying, tense conversations and the shower negotiations that are perhaps more realistic in mirroring our experiences at the moment.
Because we supposedly have so much time, there can be a huge pressure to feel like you have to do something with it. No matter how hard I try, I’ve become preoccupied with the image of emerging once this is all over and how that will look. The two current situations are:
A human marshmallow/vampire hybrid; pale, full of too much sugar and dusty soft in my tracksuit.
A vegan meal batch cooking goddess, glowing from the DIY treatments I’ve mastered and lithe from all the online exercise classes I’ve completed, all whilst building my side hustle that now earns me a huge amount of joy and money.
“The breaking point? A meme that said something along the lines of if you don’t have a skill or a side hustle after this you lack discipline, the aggression probably hitting something within me to the point where I could finally look at something of this type and laugh (probably hysterically). ”
The panic surrounding this emergence as a better version of myself began when my gym shut down, and consequently the last thing I felt like doing was exercise- I constantly felt nagged by the fact I ‘should’ want to be moving my body. Looking through Instagram Stories and seeing all the yoga mat flat lays and filtered post work-out dewy selfies, I became increasingly worried. I worried about my body- more than usual that is. Even though I would say that I go to the gym for my ‘mental health’, the thought that I would, shock horror, put on weight stressed me out. Overwhelmed by these thoughts which made me questions if I could ever move again, I turned to TV and watched an exceptional quantity of Buffy within a week (there was one day in which I consumed 14 episodes). My brain could think of little else; I googled obsessively whilst watching, I mourned over characters and allowed everything in my reality to fade away. In that moment, I felt that the perfect image of isolation was so out of reach that I just wanted to remove myself from the situation completely – or lean into it so far, I might just disappear.
At one point I became so frustrated with the amount of accounts and sites telling me what to do and how to maximise this gift of time we’d been given. The breaking point? A meme that said something along the lines of if you don’t have a skill or a side hustle after this you lack discipline, the aggression probably hitting something within me to the point where I could finally look at something of this type and laugh (probably hysterically). In times like these more than ever, I remember something I heard at an event where Jia Tolentino was interviewing Zadie Smith (this is not a usual situation for me to witness mind you). Smith said that often we turn to the internet to ‘see who we are’, and that feels apt. We turn to see ourselves, to see that we exist even, and whilst sometimes we manage to make connections, we also can seek approval. We want to see if we are ticking the imaginary boxes, the right working from home setup, the right outfit for the social climate, the right understanding of memes.
Also adding to the feeling of overwhelm as the situation develops, we experience new waves of content that seeks to reflect it. Currently it appears to be content that pines for the past or longs for the supposedly glorious and sunshine-filled future. It seems people have been scrolling through their camera rolls to repost idyllic holidays and perfectly captured social moments. These images continue to remove us even further from the reality we are all facing. Slotted between support for those constantly baking banana bread and ways we can contribute to society, the latest thing we are being tasked to do.
I don’t normally take such a dystopian view of the Internet, but as our worlds shrink, I am extra aware of the support it provides and the discomfort it can provoke. I have had to learn to manage this relationship in a wholly different way. And sometimes, it resonates so beautifully that we are reminded why we joined social media in the first place.
Once when scrolling, I saw a post by Charlotte Jacklin which articulately pointed out that your body will undoubtedly change, because your routine will. When I’m feeling good, this is the mantra that I repeat to myself. I also remind myself of the sentiments of Rachel Nguyen from That’s Chic and Haley Nahman of Man Repeller: “you don’t have to make the most of a pandemic”. With that in mind, here are some other accounts which are comforting, useful and helpful always, but now more than ever:
Self Practice …
Their Instagram has a great quarantine bingo and the site is focused on the ideas of work and wellbeing without cramming anything down your throat.
Extraordinary Routines …
Madeleine Dore’s site, newsletter and the accompanying podcast Routines & Ruts looks at the daily lives and processes of creative people. It is an awesome reminder that we all go about things in our own way and sometimes we finish a day feeling like shit or like we haven’t achieved anything and that’s okay.
Words of Women …
An Instagram account filled with good quotes, good reminders and according to their highlights, inspiration and a ‘push’.
Shot From The Street …
Lizzy Hadfield’s vlogs and vignettes are matching the mood. I cried when she cried. The new photo #shotwiththetheme offers a great sense of connectedness and introduces us to new perspectives through the eyes of those that share.
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Thank you so much to Natasha for sharing such a wonderful contribution that we’re sure we all relate to in different ways. We recommend reading her previous post on The Insecure Girls’ Club titled What The Media Taught Me About Turning 30 too! You can find Natasha on Instagram at @onmediainsta or via her website at www.onmediasite.com.