The Mask of 'Reality'

I decided to take a break from social media
I wanted to ‘socialise’ with myself a bit.
It might sound cliche to some people,
But I am tired of seeking validation from un-faced people.
I just don't want to be a part of the crowd for a while
Not be like a random passerby you see on the street
I don't want to have a perfectly symmetrical feed and define my worth by your likes,
But feed my soul with acceptance and self love.

“It's just a way to pass time, don't take it so seriously!!”
That's what people say when I say I don't like social media
But I retort and say that 'that is why I don't take it seriously'
A platform meant to make people interact with strangers far and wide
But have people looking into their screens at a family dinner all the time?

People scroll, more than they talk
Filter their pictures, more than their thoughts.

My body is my property, and I embrace my imperfections
I am my own type of beautiful, and don't see myself through anyone’s eyes.
I am weary of maintaining a ‘social' image
With multiple identities, I seem to lose my own.

Social media is not a dustbin,
where people dump their negativity,
But also, don't rush yourselves, no one is posting their sadness online.
I wish to see more reality than notifications,

Disappear from this make-believe world,
and see who misses my online actions?

Recently, when I was in the ‘real’ world
I saw a bird in an open cage,
Indeed, freedom and self confidence is a state of mind
Which makes me wonder, that even though I took a ‘break’ from social media
Will I ever 'break-free?'

Falguni Supekar is a media student in Mumbai who loves writing and believes in breaking the status quo.

Featured image credit: sebastiaan stam/Unsplash

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