comparison is the thief of joy!

“People follow pretty things, I think if bloggers were less ‘perfect’ and polished I think respect would grow for them, and there would be less negativity and jealously towards them” – Charlie Pallant, styledbycharlie.blogspot.co.uk

“Social networking sites don’t publicise community, they privatise it” - Andrejevic (2011:97) in Hinton and Hjorth (2013)…  Did you notice you spend more hours on your phone everyday than you spend doing just about anything else (source: www.womenshealthmag.com).

                              

A survey published by the journal of Behavioural Addictions revealed young women spend on average a shocking 10 hours a day scrolling on their phones, addictive visual apps such as Pinterest and Instagram being the main culprit.

Many girls who have an interest in being ‘big time’ in the fashion industry can feel pressured to begin a picturesque fashion blog, along with tidying up social media such as Instagram in order to receive an increasing amount of like-minded followers.

I speak from experience. When I tried to kickstart my blog with a supporting Instagram feed I felt like I couldn’t upload any photos that weren’t cool or had a high level of style; otherwise I risked dropping likes and loosing a chunk of followers. It seems pathetic that I couldn’t upload something sentimental such as a family photo as nobody actually cared. Followers weren’t my real friends, and real friends didn’t care about a ‘Vogue’ flatlay photo. A clear example of this is the fashionistas dogs on instagram; if you don’t own a photogenic Pug or a Frenchie Bulldog then what is the use in uploading the cuteness of your old scruffy Labrador.

Meaningless yet eye-pleasing photos such as cups of coffee are not intended to provoke a response, yet serves to keep an individual social network alive by reminding others in the network that the individual is still there, as expressed by Crawford (2010) in Hinton and Hjorth (2013).

Blogger Vieve Wright stated, “Fashion blogging has become fiercely competitive, there are so many out there it becomes impossible to make yourself unique, there is a desire for bloggers to gain thousands of followers on social media instead of the actual blog itself!”

Moreover, fashion and video blogger Charlie Pallant stated, “I find successful bloggers attitude to offering advice to smaller bloggers rude and disgusting, as at the end of the day they started out from somewhere”.

A simple double tap on an instagram photo nowadays is equivalent to a personal compliment. As McKenna et al., (2002) in Mesch and Talmud (2010) suggested how, ‘Online communication has some features that make the creation of relationships online easier than face-to-face’. The seemingly perfect blogger Charlie Pallant expressed how her blog statistics dramatically increased once she was brave enough to open up about initially beginning her blog to help overcome her Bipolar Disorder, Depression and Anxiety. Proving how readers are attracted to bloggers who are genuine and can speak about real issues within adolescents.

“Frequent internet use for social purposes is especially attractive to individuals who feel socially insecure, express social anxiety, have a low self concept and are introverts.” Stated by Hamburger and Ben-Artzi (2000) in Mesch and Talmud (2010).

Recently, I worked at the London Fashion Week, and was shocked to see bloggers perched around Somerset house almost just waiting for someone to photograph them. Whether you love them or not, Fashion Bloggers are becoming leaders of the Fashion Industry. Many are travelling the world, sitting front row at fashion shows and getting invites to press events .I praise those girls who can achieve such sterile and perfect lives at the prime of our adolescence along with the peak of our hormones. Making a living out of taking selfies and promoting brands, it seems as if they never have relationship issues, financial struggles or any flaws whatsoever.

This is what social media has developed into, as it is all about an image and nothing genuine. The ‘fblogger’ world is very small, each blogger states to have their own styles however all I notice is cloned trends.

We have become a ‘wired youth’ judging individuals lives through squares of filtered images. ‘Online relationships nowadays appear to be an integral part of youth culture’ expressed by Helper (2008) in Mesch and Talmud (2010). There is an increasing pressure for adolescents to share the best parts of their life presenting a fake impression. I am a very colourful homely and rustic person, and I found I was only accepted by others on social media by expressing myself through a clean-cut monochrome minimalistic website design. I began exploring my style by dressing up in my favourite staple pieces and taking daily outfit if the day #OOTD posts. However, my housemates would laugh as I got all dolled up, took photos in branded clothing, then proceeded to throw my hair up in a bun and get into trakkies and an oversized jumper, as I obsessively post-edited myself and cropped out my messy student bedroom.

Let alone time consuming; this lifestyle becomes self-obsessive - to only eat breakfasts that look like they’ve jumped straight out Pinterest, and the pressure to possess an all white room with zero clutter.

Model Karlie Kloss expresses how we should enjoy the moment, ‘something special has been lost – that is, simply being present’.

However, this self-expression through images and captions can have positive aspects, as many can emit a strong sense of identity through being successful ladies. “Virtual interactions and online spaces (such as Blogspot and Instagram) are seen as additional sites of interaction, where youth can explore their identities and sense of themselves, also experiencing a sense of freedom, enthusiasm and power” Maczewski, 2000; Leander and McKim, (2003) in Mesch, G. and Talmud, I (2010).

REFERENCE LIST:

Charlie Pallant. (2015). Styled By Charlie. Available: http://www.styledbycharlie.blogspot.co.uk. Last accessed 20.3.15.

Charlie Pallant. (2015). Living with Bipolar, Depression and Anxiety. Available: http://www.styledbycharlie.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/living-with-bipolar-depression-anxiety.html. Last accessed 20.3.15.

Crotty, N.. (2015). KARLIE KLOSS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: 'SOMETHING SPECIAL HAS BEEN LOST' The social media-savvy supermodel feels there are downsides to all that 'gramming. Available: http://www.elle.com/culture/news/a27303/karlie-kloss-instagram-social-media/. Last accessed 23.3.15.

Hinton, S and Hjorth, L (2013) Understanding Social Media. Sage Publications.

K. Aleshia Fetters. (2014). You Won't Believe How Many Hours You Spend on Your Phone Each Day. Available: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/hours-you-spend-on-your-phone. Last accessed 20.3.15.

Mesch, G. and Talmud, I (2010) Wired Youth. Routledge.

Vieve Wright. C’est La Vieve. Fashion Blog. Available: http://vievewright.com Last Accessed 23.3.15

Photos: Lydia. (2015). Blogging: Expectation Vs. Reality. Available: http://www.fashioninflux.co.uk/2015/02/blogging-expectation-vs-reality.html. Last accessed 20.3.15.

Photo: Buzz Feed Community Post. (2013). 12 French Bulldogs You Need To Be Following On Instagram. Available: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/277675133247697295/. Last accessed 20.3.15.

Publication Website: Available: http://i-d.vice.com Last Accessed 23.3.15