Social media posts are aspirational.
I saw a documentary, “Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb, “ on Netflix. It is about the unearthing of an Egyptian tomb. It is a fascinating documentary to watch. This documentary is about how archeologists meticulously piece together artifacts and the beautiful story of the person who builds the tomb.
When archeologists started excavating the tomb, they unearthed the beautiful figurine and the richness. The tomb is about a person named Wahtye, his wife, his four children, and his wealth. All those statues portray a picture-perfect family gifted with perfect health, a beautiful wife, and young and dashing children.
As the documentary progresses, they piece together the people buried in the tomb. To their surprise, the bodies of Wahtye’s children they unearthed had died very young and prematurely, primarily due to some viral diseases at that time. On top of it all, the person who built the tomb, Wahtye, suffered from deformities and limping.
Contrary to archeologists' findings from the skeleton remains and the DNA test, why must someone portray a healthy, picture-perfect family?
The statues which portray him and his children in the tomb are not the life they were living, and it is the life they wish to have. Statues and the painting we see in the tomb are like dreams he wishes to have but can't have in their current life.
This same reality struck me when I saw the post put by people on Facebook or other social media. People are not posting their current life. Instead, they post the aspirational life they want to live.
People want to post things they don't usually do in real life. So if someone posts how they are enjoying a sunset on a Caribbean island, they are telling the world that this is not the usual thing I do. It is the life that I want to have.
The posts on social media tell the world what they want to achieve or aspire to be. Facebook post says that pictures in position are not an everyday occurrence. It is a rarity, and they don’t have it now.
