As I scroll
through my camera roll, I stumble upon a photo of me smiling…
I’m…
**GASP**
Happy?!?!
Yes yes, our
childhood is remembered by us as “the good old times.” We’re laughing on the
playground with our friends; we have chocolate all over our mouths from when we
actually ate unhealthy foods and
**ANOTHER GASP**
didn’t feel the
need to suck in our stomachs afterwards.
The very cliché
statement of “a picture is worth 1000 words” is indeed true, as it offers our
brains a path to the past, almost like time travel, where we can reminiscent
the moments we miss so dearly. The moments where only our happiness is what
mattered.
True happiness…
have we totally forgotten about that? Let me talk about one example of an app
that has taken over part of this concept by pictures: Instagram. However,
they’re not just any pictures; rather, they’re edited ones. From a specific
filter, to lighting, to whatever technology one can use to fix their “facial
imperfections,” photos have been changed for the worse. It’s like adding a
filter literally adds a filter into the picture, hiding its critical elements
and modifying the entire meaning behind what it was originally intended for.
Why do we feel
the need to cover every single one of our imperfections, or at least, what we think are
imperfections? What Sontag insists is indeed correct: “Industrial societies
turn their citizens into image-junkies; it is the most irresistible form of
mental pollution.”
We have
evolved into a society where if there’s a pimple on our face in a picture, then
the whole world will go mad. Yeah, I know changing a picture up a bit won’t
totally make you forget what happened when it was taken, but it does indeed
conceal originality and what makes us human.
So, as I scroll
down my camera roll, the pictures continue to get faker and faker. It’s
unfortunate that I can differ between each year I have been alive because of
how each year, we can manipulate these images more and more. I look back and
laugh at when I was a kid, when the nonsense we care about today didn’t matter
to me. When I was singing my heart out and didn’t care who my mom sent the
video to. When I didn’t even have Instagram or Snapchat to refer to.
Ahh, yes… the
good old days. If only these days could’ve prevailed.
Wow Izzy this blog is so amazing! I seriously hate how our society has fallen into the habit of editing out every single minor imperfection because they are afraid that they will be judged for it. That is completely wrong because NOBODY IS PERFECT!
ReplyDeleteI really love this Izzy!! Your example at the end about your mom sending videos to people really hit how for me, and I loved how it was tied into your piece. I love your overall message and I think it is sooo important that we all remember that humans will always have flaws, and that is what makes us who we are. Overall amazing job!! p.s. I used the same cliché in my blog ;)
ReplyDeleteIzzy! What a great blog to end on, you’re real life examples made this a privilege to read.
ReplyDeleteI really love this! I think you did an amazing job (and like connor said-what a great blog to end on) keep up the amazing work in the future! With analysis and style like this, you'll get a 5 on the AP test no problem! Great job!
ReplyDelete