"Social Animals," a Netflix documentary, was recently released and its' message is one we all need to be aware of.
The documentary features many kids/teens that use Instagram but focuses on three main users. Through each person's story, it shows how Instagram has taken a major role in their lives. This documentary investigates how we use Instagram, how it affects our lives and how much we idolize it.
Here are five reasons this documentary is worth the watch.
1. It shows us how enthralled we can be in social media.
Producers interview many kids about how often they are on Instagram, and how and when do they post pictures. The kids began discussing different techniques they use to get the most likes. For instance, they post at certain times, look up captions, use filters/photoshop, and one even said that if the picture did not get at least sixty likes in the first hour she would delete the picture.
2. It encourages us to be more aware of where we are placing our self-worth.
Through two of the girls that the documentary focuses on, we are able to see why we should not compare ourselves to others on Instagram. As previously mentioned, people have admitted to editing their pictures which does not give us an accurate depiction of reality. We have to stop using Instagram as a way to put ourselves down and taking it so seriously.
3. It discusses the hardships that come along through social media.
Without giving away too much, the documentary discusses suicide and how social media can drive people to feel as though they are alone and not enough. This is a serious issue and can be changed by our outlook on things. By the end of the documentary, one of the three Instagram users, Emma no longer cared about her follower count or the number of likes she received. She began posting things that she thought were beautiful without thinking about anyone else's opinion.
4. It shows we need to separate real life and what we see on social media.
Anyone could be posting a picture that makes their life look amazing when in reality they are going through many different hardships. While this documentary mainly shows this through only one of the main Instagram users, Emma, this is true for most people on social media. We just need to remember that Instagram is a place where everyone posts the highlights of their lives.
This documentary does not answer important questions like how we're supposed to use Instagram without living through it, but it is a start for us to start analyzing our thoughts and actions in regards to social media.
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