Covered Insecurity

and protection. Their social media accounts covered the

problems they had with themselves. Sophia seemed to be

one of the best at using her social media accounts to her

The realization of the negatives that social media brings
By Joaquin Moreno
organism, they completed each other. Always in her hand
and reflecting in her eyes.
After our extremely awkward conversation,
talking to Sophia wasn’t what I had anticipated. I came to
this party event expecting her to be selfless, outgoing, and
carefree. I was wrong, but that is exactly what she wanted
me to think of her. Sophia’s trick: Her Instagram profile.
Photograph after photograph of such a happy girl with
SOCIAL MEDIA PILLS
Two hand holding pills with the logos of social
media applications. The picture shows that these
apps can be addicting but at the same time,
supposedly, helping. The user may not know
whether it is helping them or hurting them. Photo by
Rudy de Waele
advantage.
As I looked around the room I noticed many of my
friends looking down at their phones. Most of them doing
the same motion with their thumbs. Scrolling slowly and
consistently. Looking at photographs of their friends. As
they scrolled, none of them had a smile on their face. Bland
facial expressions and laziness in their eye movement. I too
had my phone in hand and would do the same thing all
the time, but it was this night that I opened my eyes and
actually looked at other people’s behavior and it frightened

O
ur conversation grew stale, Sophia had
lost her interest. Eye contact became sparse and
her effort in talking was gone. The conversation
died. Gazing, I waited for her to maybe say
something else, possibly try and give me
reassurance that she did want to talk with me;
my hopes were too high. I watched as she
walked away with her head down, and her face
glowing. Her phone screen interested her far
more than our conversation. If only I could
keep her eye contact like her phone screen was
able to. I stood there alone, feeling rejected.
Sophia and her phone appeared to be one single
such a happy life. From her profile she seemed like a very
Despite always posting happy/carefree me. My dearest friend Liam who was also attending the
THE HOME
popular girl but who looked approachable and
pictures on her Instagram account, Sophia party was taking pictures with people in the backyard. They
PAGE
A Phone Screen sympathetic. In our conversation, I could see the
full of social media didn't match her online personality. I watched her behavior wanted to get a good picture to post on instagram. Possibly
applications, most reluctance in her eyes. Feeling as though I had a sixth
likely a high after she had walked away, and it was clear. To caption the photograph, “Best night ever” or
schoolers phone.
This home page sense, I could somehow tell she didn’t want to be seen
goes to show how me, this girl was extremely anxious around maybe, “Funnest party ever”. Something
much social media talking with me, but I wished I was wrong. When she
can take up one’s other people and insecure about how she that would make the audience that sees the
phone and time. said, “Thats hilarious” but didn’t let out a single giggle, it
Photo by Defender photograph on Instagram feel forgotten or
looked. I asked myself, am I the only one who
News Service
was obvious. She wanted to end the conversation as soon
sees this Sophia? Do others see her as her online like they missed out. An almost undetectable
as possible. Sophia’s eyes were more on her phone and
persona? I couldn’t quite tell if others were aware of this way of bragging through social media.
the people around us than my actual eyes. It was very
transparent girl. I found it strange how even my closest friend was
apparent she worried about the other people in the room.
I noticed that when Sophia walked away to her other accustomed to this negative use of social media, but I am a
Possibly about them staring or talking poorly about her.
friends after our conversation, she started recording a girl hypocrite for thinking such things. I too constantly had my
Nevertheless, she cared more about what the people in
that had spilled soda all over herself. Many other friends did eyes locked to my phone and used Instagram, Snapchat, and
the room were thinking than caring about me.
too. I guessed most of them posted the video to their all the other popular social media applications. Insecurity