The Dark Edit

October 1, 2025

In all honesty, I am just as guilty as everybody else when it comes to my phone and social media. It is like an extension of my hand, and I’ve spent years browsing through Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. I enjoy keeping up with pop culture, and yes, I am a fan of the Kardashians. Their lives, fashion, products and their supposedly flawless existence are all intriguing. For years, I’ve watched their shows, absorbed every fashion trend, and even fantasized about living a luxurious life like theirs. But now, something has changed for me, and I’m beginning to question if the shiny facade of social media conceals something a lot more difficult.

The Point of No Return I recently watched The Social Dilemma. If you haven’t watched it, after you are done reading this, go watch it on Netflix. It is believed that 100 million people worldwide have watched it, and with good cause. It reveals how these platforms are meant to attract, influence, and eventually damage us. It’s more than simply there to throw away our time. It’s also destroying our mental health, self-esteem, and even our social structure. Before The Social Dilemma, I assumed I had a normal habit, just like any person in their 20s. Now I see it for what it is, a carefully crafted trap. These applications are more than simply tools, they are complex machinery built to keep us browsing, clicking, and consuming. And the cost? It’s far higher than I ever expected. Consider the influence on how we perceive ourselves. When I look at the Kardashians, I see gorgeous skin, luxury clothing, and luxurious getaways. It’s easy to become absorbed in that ideal and compare my own life and appearance to theirs. Suddenly, my regular skin gets a flaw, even when I consistently use the products celebrities say will “make your skin the clearest it has ever been,” my clothing isn’t trendy enough, and my past vacations suddenly become boring. This cycle of comparison is an invisible attack of self-esteem, especially among young people who are still discovering who they are. Tailored perfection is constantly being shoved in our faces, which creates an unachievable goal.

The Expensive Price of the Spotlight However, even the seemingly “perfect” lifestyles are not flawless. For me, no one better represent this reality than Justin Bieber. I have been a Belieber since 2009. I know every single album and era. He rose to superstardom at a very young age, achieving a level of fame and money that most of us dream of. Millions of followers idolized him, yelling his name and obsessing over his every action. Nonetheless, his journey has been a public demonstration of how money, celebrity, and admiration do not correlate to happiness or inner serenity. He’s been quite candid about his battles with mental health, addiction, and the stress of being in the spotlight. He’s basically taught that having millions of dollars in the bank and millions of devoted followers doesn’t make your life any better than anybody else’s. In a number of ways, it may make things tougher.
His vulnerability was a wonderful lesson for me and made me look up to him even more. It’s a sharp reminder that what we see on social media, including from our celebrities, is only a part of the truth. If someone with so much success and praise can yet struggle so deeply, what does it say about the rest of us, who strive for unrealistic perfection based on filtered images?

Taking Back Social Media The movement for change is rising, and it is being driven by individuals like us who are seeing the consequences of our digital addiction. #MySocialTruth is a platform that allows young people to tell their stories, cut through the distractions, and help create a future in which social media serves us rather than controls us. I’m exhausted from this constant wave of comparing myself to people that I have never even met. In my life, I want authentic interactions, experiences, and self-acceptance. I can no longer accept a reality in which algorithms determine our value and the concept of perfection creates an unachievable norm. I am determined to assist in creating a new, more compassionate digital world.