Have you seen any Instagram stories or posts about Little Ark by Choe U-Ram? It is an artwork made up of 18 headless straw bodies with one round head rolling around on a table. I have seen a lot of stories and posts about it. When I went to the exhibition in person, I saw that most people there were taking photos or filming videos, not appreciating the artwork. What do you think is more important: taking photos of artwork or appreciating it? Such a “photo-shoot culture” based on the excessive use of social media has become an inherent part of Korean culture. These days, many people, especially teens and 20-somethings tend to be obsessed with social media.

Social media encourages people to unconsciously compare themselves to others. So, why are people addicted to social media, particularly Instagram? According to an article on the ScienceDirect website, people mainly use Instagram to see what other people are doing and posting. That is, on Instagram, people are basically monitoring each other. Furthermore, looking at others’ daily activities through Instagram leads people to compare themselves to, and judge, others, which is actually a normal part of human behavior. However, Instagram makes it so much easier to engage in this behavior, due to the ease of access to information (followers, likes, and comments), that people can develop an inferiority complex through their obsession with social media, possibly leading to depression. It also leads people to set standards for others rather than for themselves. Human beings have three basic psychological needs: autonomy (freedom of action), competence (need to look competent), and relationships (need to connect with other people). If people fail to satisfy these needs, they lose
their intrinsic motivation and become motivated by extrinsic pressures instead. Without intrinsic motivation, people end up constantly trying to increase their value through extrinsic conditions; namely, they follow trends, doing what is considered normal even though they do not know why.

However, is social media the fundamental problem? It has many good points, such as enabling people to self-brand, becoming influencers, and sharing useful information. One of the foundational problems is today’s social media-based photo-shoot culture. As the influence of social media grows, it becomes easier for people to find out what other people are doing and where they are going—a famous exhibition, a café frequented by a celebrity, or a park where many people go and take photos. Once people learn about these places, they also want to go there, take photos, and upload them to social media to show off. Surely, there must be a reason for these actions. However, the problem is that people consider taking photos more important than appreciating what they are taking photos of. How many people at an art exhibition try to understand the intention of the artist and appreciate it? When I saw people around Little Ark just taking photos and videos, I thought, “I’m not sure why they are taking photos and videos, but everyone is doing it so… I think I should do it.” What is more important: taking photos or appreciating? People for whom taking photos is more important will plan and live their days around that.

What is the solution to this? I recommend a seven-day digital detox. If you think seven days is too long, you can try just two or three days. I sometimes do a digital detox for three or four days, and I actually did one recently for this article. I always notice some benefits when doing a digital detox. First, I make better use of my time. Since I am not mindlessly scrolling through content on my phone, I find it easier to focus on my
routine and spend my time doing more productive things. Second, I avoid cyber fatigue. I feel cyber fatigue after looking at countless social media posts and photos and catching up on the daily lives of others. When I feel like my cyber fatigue is getting out of hand, I deactivate all of my social media accounts and delete the apps. By doing so, I’m able to focus on only my family, friends, and other people who are important to me. I notice that my self-esteem improves as well.

Everything has both pros and cons. Trying to keep a healthy balance is the way to maximize the advantages. To finish off this article, I would like to recommend one thing—keep track of your screen time on social media.

Kang Hyun-Jin
Reporters

hyunjinkang1228@kookmin.ac.kr