The Definition of Success in the Social Media Age

To discuss the new definition for success since the advent of Social Media, I would like to first go back a little and review how success was defined and communicated in the past. At least in Western culture and societies, there has always been a direct relationship between social status and success. Up to a few years ago, humans generally sought status and gained that by either communicating financial affluence, aptitude for and displaying artistic or athletic talents, or becoming an expert in a topic by means of higher education to either become a professional (a surgeon for example) or climb the academic ladder. The main point is that status had to be earned by years or sometimes decades of hard work. Even in the case of money and the generational wealth that was passed on, it was usually generated by a lineage of hard work & financial prudence, and many years of planning. Plus young folks who just inherited great wealth were usually trained to be humble about it since "showing off" was considered distasteful (of course jerks existed throughout the entire human history). It is relatively a new concept to be able to gain rapid status by sharing your photos & videos (sex tapes included!) or documenting your life, live, on social media. I think the main reason is that we as a society evolved, or maybe I should say devolved, to focus ONLY on the status but not the foundational and fundamental reasons behind it. The notion of Social Media Influencer as a full-time occupation didn't even exist a few years ago, but it's now the dream position for more than 60% of teenagers and young adults at any cost! There are teenagers who are literally willing to die in order to gain "viral status" on major SM platforms. If there were any doubts about humans being social animals it has vanished in the last couple of decades with the viral growth of many SM platforms. That fact might actually prove that gaining high social status is the fountainhead and driving force behind most human ambition. For some reason, we need to seek the attention of other humans (usually positive but not always) in order to feel better about ourselves, and displaying or at least acting successfully in SM taps into the flow of instant gratification from likes and hearts.

Basically, we are gradually eroding the relevancy of merit in the social hierarchy. Some may say that is a good thing since it was traditionally not available to the masses and only carved away for a small portion of the society who were either super talented or had ways and means to access wealth and/or higher education. I appreciate the notion of injustices that arose from different levels of access by just being born in a different corner of the earth. I am highly motivated by the thrive for fairness and equal opportunity for all. But I am also intrigued by the idea of proving worthiness. Gaining access and tapping into the social hyperelevator is causing many folks to portray the image of success without having any of those old refining frameworks that existed in the past. It had taken humans millennia to form the social constructs (with all their flows) that were created to measure one's success and relevancy. The yardsticks that we commonly used to measure status/success incorporated many of our natural instincts and were molded by the lessons from history. Basically, we did away with all that natural and generational knowledge that took us many centuries to curate in a matter of 20 short years since the advent of famous social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. One might argue that we have always had folks who climbed the ladder of status much faster than the others and have many overnight success stories throughout history. Of course, I agree with that but I also add the fact that it was common knowledge that it happened VERY rarely and usually due to extreme talent or astronomical luck and most folks knew that it was not a viable career path!

Also, constantly striving to get the attention of folks who you don't know (and they don't know you either) in the social world with baseless and on many occasions, nonsensical acts, without any foundational qualifications (knowing that you are faking it) is causing the invasion of mental illness among the heavy users of SM platforms. Conditions like depression and anxiety are becoming more and more prevalent in teenagers and young adults of the current generation and are leading to astronomical increases in suicidal thoughts and behavior. Basically, we are becoming less happy from the constant struggle to get others' attention. I remember reading in a book or an article written about Merilyn Monroe many years ago that how the main source of her depression at the height of her successful career was rejections from casting agents, or perhaps a bad review she got for a role in a movie. Something like that could ruin her sense of internal worth and success and overshadow all the positive messages she received from the many thousands of her fans! If that was the main reason for a grown woman who mind you was a VERY successful and popular Hollywood star, imagine how it can crush a teenager.

The main point here is to take the effects of SM media very seriously and try to treat it like any other stimulant, indulging in it occasionally might add value to your life experience, but overindulging (like any other stimulant) can cause both short and long-term damage. The reason that most drugs can become more addictive during the teenage years is how they cause the user's brain biochemistry to transform when dopamine receptors are bombarded and stimulated at an unusually fast rates. It is not about the substance but how our neurobiology reacts to it which can result in addictive behavior. From that perspective, SM can be as highly addictive as any drug and can negatively impact the neuroplasticity periods of the brain which starts at birth but is typically super active during the teenage years.

Be Well,
Siamak