Souls, Social Media, and The 1975
Why would you believe you could control how you're perceived
When at your best you're intermediately versed in your own feelings?
- The 1975, from Sincerity is Scary
These lyrics speak to me so much. The band, The 1975, call this song Sincerity is Scary, and I agree.
In my previous article, I talked about healing. Now, I’ll continue that conversation and go in depth with my go-to healing paths. The first: going outside.
By this, what I truly mean is spend time with yourself. I think the biggest thing that stops young (and indeed, all) people from spending time with themselves — and in doing so, having a great relationship with their heart and their soul — is social media.
I’m not saying that social media is a bad thing — just, a distraction. When we let it.
The 1975’s entire album dives into this. Titled “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships”, I originally thought this was a reference to the online dating world. It’s not. It’s about how the internet impacts all relationships. Especially the one with ourselves.
I’ve done it too: I’ve lost bits of myself in spending too much time on my phone.
I’ve wondered how to best represent myself online. But in changing up my profile, I’ve felt that I’m trying to change myself. And the more I try to, the more I discover that I can’t.
That’s exactly what the band means by the lyrics. There is no such thing as “controlling how you’re perceived”, no matter how hard you try. Subconsciously, people have an understanding of who you are. You can’t hide that. Your soul. Yes, your soul. You cannot ever hide it.
That’s a good thing: you will always be you.
Regardless of who people think you are, based on your profile, you will always be you.
Matt Healy explains it better. On Genius, as he describes why he wrote the lyrics, he says:
“I’m lucky… My relationship with social media is kind of like, “this is what I do.” ... Whereas for a lot of young people, especially, it’s “this is who I am.” Like, that’s brutal. That’s really brutal on your self-esteem.”
So, let go. Let go of that.
You are not your social media profile.
And personally, when I step outside of that realm, I feel better — healthier. I feel like me.
Check. Notice. Maybe you feel that way too.
If so, The 1975’s advice is:
The only apparatus required for happiness is your pain
And ... going outside
— The 1975, from Give Yourself a Try
By: Gabriela Gueorguiev