Social Media changes perception of other people's lives | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

Understanding The Green Glass Door: A Different Perspective On Social Media

Often people don't realize the harmful patterns they create and perpetuate for themselves on social media.

70
Understanding The Green Glass Door: A Different Perspective On Social Media

You and some friends are hanging out and getting to know each other. What better time is there to bust out some icebreakers? Your friend Lisa brings up the classic: Two Truths and a Tale.

Lisa begins and her annoying valley girl accent fills the room.

"OK so like let me start and you guys need to guess the two truths and one lie. OK so like first thing is I went to Maui with my ex-boyfriend and we rented out an entire Subway for ourselves. Um…number two is I ate a watermelon thinking it was a strawberry or number three I had to freeze a wart off my ear when I was twelve."

The whole room fills with confusion followed by laughter. Was this girl actually being serious? After this icebreaker was over, you and your friends circled up again to continue the get-to-know-you games. You look around and see your friend Annie endlessly scrolling through the online Bible: Instagram. She's searching username after username to find what she's looking for. The thought that's been nagging and pushing you for months is finally coming out. An epiphany surfaces - The Green Glass Door. That's exactly what it is. This is the riddle that comes out from within and secretly torments us slowly day by day.

The thing is that social media only shows us what we want to see; we're only seeing what our minds want us to see. This is the Green Glass Door, or a metaphor for our minds, attitudes, thoughts, and beliefs. The game goes as follows: The player introduces the game and, say Player A, starts with, "There is a green glass door in the middle of Minnesota." Then Player A begins to list things that can or cannot go through the door. The other player, Player B, hears this riddle for the first time and has no idea what to think. They have to try to understand what can and cannot go through the door. Player A begins, "Root beer can go through the green glass door, but not soda. Feet can go through the door, but not toes." This makes no sense! This is the riddle that we don't know and yet it plagues our lives daily.

Here is where the riddle begins to fall into place. With riddles, we know to look for patterns, but what is it this time? You begin to fidget with your phone out of boredom decide to go on Instagram. You know it's that time of day to do your follow up on the prettiest and coolest girl in your town, @Lexie_loves_life34. Her first post is a picture of her and her dreamy looking boyfriend. The second post is her working at an elite, high paying job at a juice cleansing bar in Los Angeles, California. At the end of this cyberstalking, you feel like shit. This is a habit that develops over time. Days go by and the same pattern repeats itself.

Only certain objects are supposed to penetrate our minds, and it is all about the way we see the things around us. Most often, people playing the Green Glass Door don't realize that it isn't about the generalizations presented to us, it is about the intricacies we don't see or understand. Once we go on social media sites, we only see a smidge of someone's life and we interpret that information the way we want to see it. In the Green Glass Door, we don't realize that it is not about the words being presented to us all at once, it is about the breakdown of the words. Root Beer can go through the door because it has double letters, and soda cannot go through because it has no repeating letters.

When we pay attention to judgment based on big-picture ideas, we overlook the smaller things that tend to be the most important. We don't see that @Lexie_loves_life34's boyfriend is actually now gay and we also don't see that Lexie got fired from her juice cleansing job. Once we address the way we view things on social media, we can understand how our minds work like a Green Glass Door.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

196718
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

18749
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

460796
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

28266
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments