American Psychosis

          This article freaked me out, primarily because everything Chris Hedges wrote is true. The article pointed out some of our country's biggest flaws, most of them generated from technology like television and social media. Speaking in terms of television, people in todays world get so obsessed with celebrities and their personal lives because they are broadcasted all the time, causing us to forget about our own lives. Television also promotes some strange morals. I am familiar with America's Next Top Model, and how the pictures of contestants that are eliminated disappear at the end of the episode. Hedges writes, "Those who lose deserve to be erased", which fits in with the messages that many tv shows send. If you're not talented or beautiful enough, you're not worthy of attention. This idea also influences social media, and websites like Instagram. People are obsessed with getting "likes" on their pictures, and if they don't get a lot of likes they consider themselves unworthy or ugly. I think social media is definitely a contributor to the social problems of today's world. Think of the times before social media. Before I hit middle school, I had never posted a photo online. I had never taken a selfie, never liked a photo or blogged images. My image of myself was defined by the people around me and who I was as a person. But most people today define themselves by their online images. The "Cult of Self" sums this up. Instead of creating an image of yourself based on the things that actually matter, like your family and your interests and your talents and your goals, your idea of "self" is composed by what thoughts, photos, and videos you post online.