Online Reporter
Takudzwa Paul Sibiya
Correspondent
WHO are you when no one is watching?
And more importantly, who are you becoming in a world that is always watching?
In a world filled with filters, trends and constant connection, identity has become more complex than ever. It is undeniable that people across continents are living similar experiences- a teenager in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Brazil or USA can watch the same videos, follow the same trends and admire the same influencers.
This global connection has created a shared youth culture which is so powerful and fast-moving.
But my major concern is: Are we becoming more connected or just more alike? Every young person today is faced with the same fight, conscious or not, to navigate who they are in a world shaped by social media, trends and global exposure and fusion.
The most important question especially for our youths is: “Who are you when no one is not watching, and is that the same person online?”
We are fighting against a world where one person impersonates the other, while the one being impersonated wishes to be someone else entirely.
The world has created and developed a notion where so-called celebrities, actors and all those big-shots live two different lives, one happy life behind the cameras, while the other actual and real life is so miserable and full of untold frustrations, depressions and hidden struggles.
Influencers are only presenting highlight reels, not real life, and yet our youths measure their worth based on these unrealistic standards.
Are we living our lives or performing for an audience? In this modern generation, much of our identity is shaped by the digital world—for example, our fashions, lifestyle, and language are somehow a combination of things we have seen and adopted from the digital world.
We see a new trend, we adopt and follow. It is so disappointing how young people of my generation no longer define themselves by who they really are, but are being defined by what they see online.
How can we understand ourselves when we are busy imitating someone’s life? How can African youths redefine boundaries that have been set when we are occupied with trying to turn ourselves into Westerners?
My generation has been swept away and detached from our roots because we believe in a modernised mental delusion where one has to pretend to be what they are in order to get social approval. And yet one’s real strength lies in being one’s self in a world that constantly tries to change them.
Please understand me well! Social media is not a weapon for us to destroy ourselves the way we are doing. Imagine it this way, instead of using social media to spread fake news, lies and propaganda, social media should be a model where this generation should use to connect in meaningful and productive ways and expose all false notions our forefathers have been using to divide us and keep us blinded.
Social media is power, but what are we going to use this power for- to build or to distract ourselves? It is okay to have a billion followers on social media and probably make money from it, but at what cost?
We owe each other a duty of care to make sure that we use and enjoy our resources and what we have in such a way that it does not harm others or to use it sustainably such that the future generations’ need will not be at stake.
But imagine a world we are creating now! We have people spreading nudity just to gain followers. Socialite are creating and designing disgusting trends all because of firm. Do we even stop to think for a second how these likes, followers and comments that we are hungry for are going to affect our self-worth?
What kind of a future are we creating for the upcoming generations? We might not want to believe this, but it is high time we realise that we are busy creating a world of comparison where our youths’ confidence and self-esteem is becoming extinct.
With constant comparison, it is easy to feel like you are not enough- not successful enough, not attractive enough or not popular enough.
Our so-called trends are inventing a world in which authenticity is becoming rare and overtaken by a world of curated images.
A world where girls no longer feel comfortable in descent dressing because our socialite and celebrities are walking the streets barely naked. A world where the only time a male child will be sober is when going for a dealer to get more drugs. A world in which we longer lend others a hand because our hands are busy holding up a camera to take reels.
People are being pressured to fit into trends instead of standing firm in who they truly are.
You don’t have to reject trends but neither should you lose yourself in them! You don’t need to disconnect completely, but you must stay in control! I wish to leave you with these questions ladies and gentlemen.
Who are you choosing to become in this digital world?
Will you follow the crowd or define your own path? What responsibility do you carry as part of a global generation?
I urge us all to become a generation that defines its own legacy—not only for ourselves today, but for the countless generations yet to come.
