“Propaganda”: information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. Now I’m not sure about you, but whenever I heard the word “propaganda”, it was in school, in a painfully boring history class about North Korea or Karl Marx’s “Communist Manifesto” from like, decades ago. What I didn’t realize is that I am actually living in a world of propaganda, in fact I revolve my life around it, while simultaneously contributing to my own mental deterioration, and I don’t think I’m alone.

How are you reading this article? Chances are your phone or computer, and chances are seconds ago you were aimlessly clicking the right arrow or scrolling up and up and up through other people’s pictures until you came across this article. Me too. In this way, we are all willingly submitting ourselves to modern day propaganda, the most destructive kind in history: social media. Now, don’t get me wrong, social media has its definite perks, and no, I am not willing to give it up. I feel good, really good, when I get that orange bubble saying “70 hearts” once a week on Instagram. When my friends can appreciate my witty caption about “stu-dying for midterms”. When I don’t feel good, however, is the six other days of the week, where my perceived view of the world is that EVERYONE, and I mean everyone, is living a life far fuller than mine. Whether it’s Jay Alvarrez jumping off of a plane in Hawaii, Kylie Jenner popping that oh-so-perfect, natural booty, college girls on elevated surfaces cheering “GAME DAY”, or even my friends posting “my girl”, I compare myself to it. I wonder why I’m not jumping out of a plane, or if maybe I’m not as close with my friends as I initially thought. Maybe my life isn’t that interesting after all, maybe I have to change my attitude, maybe I’m doing it all wrong. Do I sound extreme? Possibly. But the feeling is ambiguous within us all, and we are submitting to, and judging ourselves off of “information, of misleading nature, used to promote a particular cause or point of view.” Propaganda.

Now let’s make one thing clear. I am not demoting social media as a whole, or saying I think my life is absolute sh*t. I actually love my life, and I appreciate social media. What I am saying is that we all need to take a step back from these screens. We need to realize that just because a group of girls posted a photo of six of them saying “forever”, the chances are highly likely that there was some negative gossiping taking place a day or two before among these “besties”. Chances are regardless ofthesearing pang of FOMO you get from swiping through the 21 snapchat stories of a party, it isn’t as revolutionary as you think, otherwise everyone wouldn’t be on their phones documenting it. The bizarre parallel is that the device weuse to judge our own fun, our own value, and our own lives is the exact same device we hurt ourselves with, the same device we use to escape awkward situations at parties when that red solo cup in your hand just isn’t doing the trick of taking away our insecurities, the same device we think “maybe I’m not as liked as I thought” because your post is lacking orange hearts.

I like social media. I like being able to stay connected with what’s going on. I like being able to post about politics and complain about our government without a single repercussion. But this is huge autonomy, huge power, that when not infiltrated correctly is more dangerous than positive. Complaining without being educated about our government is a dangerous power social media has allotted us.

Social media is like that boy that you just can’t stop hooking up with, as much as you know you should. The hype is enticing when your not actually there, when you Snapchat him a selfie at a party, the “wyd” he responds is far more exciting than actually getting into his car. The hype of social media is far more exciting when you missed that party, that group plan, when you haven’t seen that country or eatenthe “foodporn” from that restaurant. Yet once you actually go, see it in *gasp* real life, it turns out it often isn’t as exciting as you thought.

As negative as this article may sound, that is not the goal. We are not modern day communists, nor are we North Korea. Actually, far from it. I live a beautiful life full of beautiful people. "Propaganda is a soft weapon; hold it in your hands too long, and it will move about like a snake, and strike the other way." Your social media is the same thing. Hold it briefly, and it is great, keeps you connected, and gives you the brief confidence boost we all need post-selfie once a week. But don’t let yourself drown in it. Scroll too long, and it will strike the other way, making you feel less-than. Don’t put orange hearts before red hearts. You are beautiful and your life is great in its own individual way, and no modern day propaganda can change that.