Am I the main character?
Social media’s tendency to fuel egocentrism
You are the main character of your life—but can you recognize that, beyond your own perspective, billions of other “main characters” live unaware of your story?
In an era dominated by self-focused social media, it’s easy to get lost in our own narratives, fuelling a culture that is breeding a narcissistic generation.
From a perfectly curated profile for others to see to the constant presence of photos and videos in daily life, egotistical behaviour manifests itself in various ways, making you hyper-aware of your appearance at all times.
I've had many comforting moments of sonder—that sudden realization that every passerby has a life as rich and complex as my own. Social media, however, tends to pull us in the opposite direction, making us take ourselves too seriously and convincing us that the world is much smaller than it really is.
A popular message circulating on social media is the idea that anything that "no longer serves me" can simply be discarded. While shedding toxic aspects of life can be healthy, this mindset sometimes feels overused—even misplaced. It suggests that conflicts or challenges, like a disagreement with a friend, aren’t worth working through if they don’t immediately serve our needs. This attitude risks fostering an expectation that life should always cater to us, as though we’re owed a frictionless experience.
On the other hand, "romanticizing your life," also popularized by social media, is a concept that I actually support. This mindset is not purely a product of the internet. Long before social media, people found ways to add beauty and meaning to their everyday lives. It’s a wonderful outlook to have, but the danger lies in becoming too self-oriented and neglecting essential connections.
Despite being more interconnected than ever, genuine interest in others’ lives seems to be fading. We seem to be in a “texting burnout”—many of us are exhausted and no longer want to answer our messages. I’ve noticed fewer people reaching out just to ask how someone is doing; texting to catch up has become rare, almost burdensome.
It’s strange that we now rely so heavily on social media to give us daily updates about each other, removing the intentional effort to directly check-in. On the rare occasions that we actually reach out, we leave each other’s messages unanswered for days, leaving conversations fragmented and divided by lapses in time.
Not everyone slips into these patterns, nor do I believe it’s always intentional, but it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on how we connect with others.
When we really look at our habits, we might realize just how much we’re missing in each other’s lives and how absorbed we are in our own.
This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 6, published November 19, 2024.
