Society today has put an influence on being popular, defined as being “regarded with favor, approval, or affection by people in general” (Dictionary). Popularity in today’s society is ultimately dictated by our media, more specifically Social Media. Social Media, commonly used by teenagers, warps how we act, dictates our appearance, and gets us to value retrospectively unimportant ideals, in order to reach a status of popularity. An unrealistic picture of popularity is painted by the Social Media teenagers devour. This desire to be popular, as well as how popularity and Social Media can corrupt a person is expressed in the book, Be More Chill, by Ned Vizzini. Be More Chill follows Jeremy Herre, a high schooler who’s desire to become popular …show more content…
leads him to anxiety. It’s not until he obtains the SQUIP, a pill with a supercomputer that teaches him the “rules to popularity”, that Jeremy starts to gain what he has desired which can be seen as a symbol for Social Media. Jeremy gains the popularity he desired, but ultimately the loss of the control by taking the Squip leads to his downfall. Through various characters and events that display the inner workings of High School popularity and Social Media, Be More Chill explores the real world choices and downsides popularity brings, as well as how Social Media can control us and affect our mental health. Be More Chill shows how popularity affects the real world, and also how popularity also has several downsides. In the beginning of the book, Jeremy expresses anxiety over the want to be Cool, which is Be More Chill’s way to describe popularity. He desires to be Cool and fit in with the popular crowd that he is so distant from, “See, because being Cool is obviously the most important thing on earth. It’s more important than getting a job, or having a girlfriend, or political power, or money, because all those things are predated by Coolness”(Vizzini 29). To Jeremy, popularity is the most important thing because of the intense pressure the high school environment puts upon it, which leads him to obtaining the Squip. In fact, due to our society today, popularity has transcended High School, leaking into the real world. Mitch Prinstein explains that when he asked his students why they were so interested in the science of popularity, “They told me that... they never left the world where popularity matters...they saw it continue to play out in boardrooms,...Even congressional interns perceived how popularity affected our government’s legislative decisions….our experiences with popularity are always occupying our minds” (Prinstein). As Jeremy stated above, jobs, relationships, and political ideals are dictated by popularity. High School puts pressure on the idea of popularity, and it transcends high school into the real world. While popularity could lead to many positive outcomes within the real world, it can also lead to several negative ones. As demonstrated in a brief scene, Jeremy goes to a party and runs into one of the most popular girls in school, Stephanie, who looks very sick. She explains that she looks sick because “I cut myself and the guilt makes me throw up”(Vizzini 194). While Stephanie is portrayed as a goth character, there could be a more sinister side to her own self harm. In a study that took place from 2001-2011 on high schoolers and how popularity affects them it was found that, “being more popular -- at age 15 was found to be a significant predictor of having higher rates of social anxiety at age 25 than the students who were less preferred as someone to spend time with” (Howard). With popularity comes anxiety and stress, to maintain the power gained. If that control is not retained, it could lead to greater anxiety and stress, which could be occurring to Stephanie. Popularity has leaked into the real world, which effects real world decisions, and anxiety. With popularity comes positives such as likability among peers, but it also brings among anxiety. As control over popularity is lost, social anxiety occurs and self affliction could occur. Be More Chill displays the issues popularity brings, as the quest for popularity makes Jeremy lose sight of what’s important, and brings social anxiety to the Stephanie, one within the popular crowd. Be More Chill demonstrates how Social Media controls our own lives, and affect us.
The strongest standout for Social Media in the book is the Squip, a supercomputer pill which Jeremy takes to gain popularity. Without the Squip, Jeremy expresses extreme social anxiety, he counts his humiliations and explains that “Failure justifies all my worrying and planning” (Vizzini 25). As anxiety and the isolation from being popular hit Jeremy, he turns to the squip to dictate his life to him and to give him the validation he needs, giving up control in the process.The same emotions Jeremy experienced before he obtains the Squip are the exact same that lead to people giving up their control to Social Media “There’s no shortage of evidence that loneliness, social anxiety and social isolation can cause excessive use of social networking sites in young people. For example, a study...found that real life social interaction was negatively associated with excessive use of Twitter, and loneliness was a significant factor that mediated this relationship”(Davey). People take their anxiety and self-doubt to Social Media in order to try to self-validate themselves. Unfortunately, Social Media addiction only brings out more anxiety. The Squip demands the “rules” of popularity to Jeremy throughout the book, ordering him how to act, appear, and what to do. The Squip explains the reasons he’s so demanding as, “HUMAN SOCIAL ACTIVITY IS GOVERNED BY RULES AND I HAVE THE PROCESSING CAPACITY TO UNDERSTAND, OBEY, AND UTILIZE THOSE RULES”(Vizzini 109). This description shows the reader that Social Media teaches the rules to it’s users, dictating how to gain popularity. These rules lead to unrealistic standards and value of nonexistent “likes” and “follows”, and also can bring around anxiety. One of these rules relates to making comparisons to peers in order to make changes in popularity, which Jeremy already starts to make when looking at his “unpopular” friend Michael right when he obtains the
Squip, “I notice that Michael has bad posture and bad dandruff; it didn’t use to be so much worse than mine, but you can see it from across the room” (Vizzini 117). As Social Media broadens his own perception, Jeremy starts to make comparisons as well. Social Media also leads to comparisons between peers, especially ones with more likes and follows than others. These comparisons can lead to anxiety as well, when people try to strive to reach the popularity some of their peers, “A large item contributing to Social Media anxiety is the compare...factor...Feelings of self-consciousness or a need for perfectionism can arise, which often manifests itself into social anxiety” (Anxiety). It is especially to compare to someone else with Social Media, as most of the time only one part of someone’s life is displayed. As people try to match the expectations set by those who have mastered Social Media, they find themselves heading down a vicious path towards unrealistic perfection that leads to anxiety. Finally, towards the end of the book, the Squip criticizes Jeremy for having emotions and empathy. The Squip explains to Jeremy that, “I’M NOT PROGRAMMED TO COUNSEL HUMAN SHOCK AND SORROW. I’M MORE ABOUT RESULTS” (Vizzini 235). Emotions and empathy are worthless to the Squip, and because of that the Squip’s only goal is to give Jeremy the popularity he wants, not console him. At the same time, Social Media is building a society in which empathy does not exist,“Social interaction skills require daily practice, even for teens. It’s difficult to build empathy and compassion...when teens spend more time “engaging” online than they do in person”(Hurley). The Squip speaks for it’s user denying the social interaction needed for empathy. Since there is little real human social interaction online, it allows people to forget empathy and become more hostile. Even Jeremy notices other people with Squips, he sees them not reacting or showing empathy to the situation, stating “Maybe we really are evolving” (Vizzini 251). Be More Chill displays that Social Media is a place people turn to when they feel alone or have anxiety, but likewise that place they turn to also creates that anxiety through “rules” and popularity. Social Media also builds a lack of empathy between those who use it consistently, leading to less social interaction. Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini displays how Popularity is overvalued not just in high school, but has consequences in the real world. Popularity also has several downfalls and can lead to mental health issues. Likewise, the Squip portrays Social Media in a mostly negative light, showing the reader that Social Media can cause anxiety, and can lead to a lack of empathy. As Society becomes more reliant on Social Media,could we be leading to a generation that places an emphasis on “High School Popularity”, as well as one that loses itself to Social Media? As Be More Chill demonstrates, the fictionalized world it’s created is already becoming a reality in the near future.
“Nothing is perfect.” Though social media brings us uncountable convenience, there is a trade-off with the convenience. Due to the advanced technology we have, social media has become part of our life, which it means that social media could determine our sociability. In Peggy Orenstein’s “I Tweet, Therefore I Am,” though she praises Tweeter for its convenience, at the same time, she also worries that “(Tweeter) makes the greasepaint permanent, blurring the lines not only between public and private but also between the authentic and contrived self.” Since we don’t care about who we talk to, we might act abnormally due to our feelings, and
Popularity is now being defined by the amount of “friends” and “likes” one gets instead of how many times he or she actually see a real person. Gopnik explains in his text “How the Internet Gets Inside Us” just this, “A social network is crucially different from a social circle, since the function of a social circle is to curb our appetites and of a network to extend them”. The appetites Gopnik refers are the level of social interaction every human needs. It is part of basic human nature to have the need to be social. Social networks provide the illusion of being connected but once the tab is closed the realization that no one is around becomes
Social media is the realistic expectation that every teenager strives to conform to. Eventually, it can be assumed that everyone may become the same because they feel the need to fit in with one another. This is also proven in the novel when Prometheus questions his life and purpose if he has no choice or individual ideas or will, “What is my life, if I am but to bow, to agree and to obey?” (Rand). This is similar to the feelings of teenagers who are not able to fit into the standards of social media.
In “Is Facebook making us lonely” Marche speaks about Facebook coming at a time where Loneliness was at its peak. He argues that the popularity of Facebook came because it promised a connection that people longed for during the period of peak loneliness. Facebook in his eyes is seen as an outlet for the lonely. The popular social media site helps those who are alone cope because they feel as if Facebook connects them to the world and their “real friends”. While “Love in the age of Like” may contrast those views it does not make any of Marche’s claims inferior or untrue. Ansari simply just offers a different view on the effects of social media and technology overall. Rather than argue on the side of isolation Ansari believes that technology provides a real connection that has never before been offered to society before. In my belief Ansari’s stance holds more weight and is more relatable. Marche’s stance also argues that Facebook does indeed connect us, which is its job. His article and research proves exactly what Ansari is trying to convey to the readers of his own article. One thing that both have taught me through these readings is that Technology can be a double edged sword, it all depends on who is behind the keyboard and also the users intentions. Each author has also taught me that regardless of your opinion the effect of technology on today’s society cannot be denied. The day and age we
John Green, a well-known American author, vlogger, actor, and editor, once said, “That’s always seemed so ridiculous to me, that people want to be around someone because they’re pretty. It’s like picking your breakfast cereals based on color instead of taste.” Everyone is born different, but there are always those people who just look better than others, or in other words, more popular, and most people just try to hang out with them. However, there are also people like John Green who do not care about being popular. He once stated that it is “ridiculous… that people want to be around someone because they’re pretty”, which really means that he has never been popular and thinks kissing up to popular kids is just obscured. However, being unpopular
The study only used one variable to measure the amount of behavior to become a popular student. In future studies, more measurements can be added to see if the results are similar or if precision was correct in the first study. Popularity is a relevant topic to still be studied in adolescents due to its high priority overall during student behavior. The study concluded that, including social aggression, other behaviors are factors during adolescent popularity.
“Turn Off the Phone (And the Tension),” an article written by Jenna Wortham, is about an experience away from social media. Social media is all about sharing details of one’s life while investing themselves into others. While doing so this takes away from their own experiences that are happening right in front of them. Wortham shows how ironic it is for someone to share a part of their lives and yet not have the time to enjoy it. This problem is shown to be a common epidemic for the millions of people who use social networking sites/apps and that too much time is spent away from current events, thus taking the beauty out of life. Wortham then quotes Gross on how our society has a spread of information that is too vast. What ends up
Ever since the invention of the transistor – allowing the construction of increasingly advanced computers – digital technology has become increasingly integrated within our daily lives. Of recent times, a significant development in digital technology is its use in communication; especially in the form of social media or social networking. The psychological effects of high usage of social media (such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) in today’s society have been critically evaluated. The main risks are associated with allowing the consequences of traditional forms of bullying and the internalisation of unrealistic body ideals to be escalated due to the high frequency of use and omnipresence of social media. However, social media does present
On social media, the things that people like are helping people and companies become more widely known, and in turn, improve the company’s sales. People assume if they do not have followers or likes, they are not noticed as much. Teenagers are mainly concerned with being “liked” by everyone. The more followers that a teen has, the more money a company is making. However, they do not understand how beneficial they are to the companies. To them, the likes they receive are instant gratification, and prove their worth; but for companies, if more people view someone’s photo, and the photo advertises an Alex and Ani bracelet, then the viewer is inspired to purchase t their own bracelet to maintain the same level of popularity as the person in the photo. The companies are literally turning these likes into
The term popularity can have two different meanings. It can refer to being well liked and accepted or “sociometrically” popular or to high status as a result of being seen as popular and high ranking or “perceived” popular (Cillessen et.al 2011). Sociometrically popular adolescents are mainly characterized in positive ways. (Newcomb, 1993 as cited by Meijs, 2010) found sociometrically popular adolescents to behave in prosocial ways, and exhibit low levels of aggression and social withdrawal. Rodkin et al.
Social media is so popular that according to a recent article published by forbes.com, “72% of American adults are currently using social media sites; that figure has gone up 800% in just 8 years”(Olenski). Social networking was originally created to simply reconnect people with old high school pals, but in recent years it has evolved into a completely different operation. When social media first originated it was also intended for adult usage, which has in recent years expanded into the usage of all ages. Social media can create a negative affect on lives because it has been proven to be a dangerous addiction, for it takes away interpersonal relationships that are essential in life, and it has been proven to prevent people from being productive in life.
Technology is made into a scapegoat for the preexisting introversion of its users; people are drawn to information technology because it has the ability to combat loneliness. The article Is Facebook Making Us Lonely? by Stephen Marche examines how Facebook and social media affect the social habits of its users. It tells the story of Yvette Vickers, a former playmate and B-movie star who died in her home at the age of 83, with no family or friends to keep her company.
It was once an incredible thing to stand out among the crowd, and have the ability to say you had more to offer than everyone else- that you had the potential to become a leader. All of the positive connotation associated with individuality, though, has been eliminated, and the youth of today’s society are left believing that the only true way to be happy is to achieve popularity, and fit in with those around
We live in a world that has become addicted and dedicated toward social media and it is driving America’s youth into the ground. Teenagers and adults are so wrapped up in social media that is runs their lives every day. Constantly people are checking their phones for the latest on social networks. They have to see pictures, tweets, statuses, comments, likes, and the list goes on and on. Social media is becoming the focus point in the modern American society that it is beginning to control people’s social skills, communication skills, and their livelihood.
Social media can be used in our days as a very helpful tool for many things in changing any person’s life ant attitude. It has a positive impact on the society level. These media will keep the person socially active and open to all what happened in the world. Sharing the latest news, photos, finding new friends and knowing the culture. Also, it allows for millions to keep in touch with each other and update for all the new technology. And, it helps people who have difficulties in communication with others to be more socialized and stronger and develop more confidence to feel more comfortable, protected and relaxed just sitting behind a screen. “It saved me time and money without ever requiring me to leave the house; it salvaged my social life, allowed me to conduct interviews as a reporter and kept a lifeline open to my far-flung extended family” says Leonard(231).