I read an article on Evie Magazine that mentioned an internet obsession regarding a female influencer’s wedding dress and wondered what the fuss was about. Through my research I found TikTok videos that explained the situation: Millions of women were getting emotionally invested in an influencer’s life and wedding online.
The women followed a young influencer try on wedding dresses for a whole the year. Many dresses were elaborate and expensive. Each video showcasing these dresses racked up to 100k+ views. So thousands of women devoted their attention and time to following a stranger’s life. Then when the final dress was revealed, many were disappointed and used their time to create content talking about it.
My concern regarding this entire point is women getting emotionally involved with a stranger’s life online to the point where they have lost so much time and energy that could have been put to better use elsewhere.
But they chose to invest their personal life into following the life of another person online… so a year later when the women are left disappointed by the final wedding dress, you have to wonder if it worth it in the end.
Was watching this young lady’s life – a life that has nothing to do with yours – for a whole year truly worth it in the end?
The Obsession with a Stranger’s Life
I understand the obsession: An attractive young woman is getting married. She has access to a lot of money and resources to enjoy the wedding-making process. One of those processes is trying on wedding dresses.
This young woman has the freedom and money to try on as many wedding dresses as she wants. Her small frame can fit into these dresses easily as compared to a heavier-set woman who may be more limited in her choices. And she shares the journey with millions of strangers – the majority of whom are young women who would love to be in her shoes. No wonder the women are getting emotionally invested in an influencer’s life and wedding.
I mean, it is quite a dream to be given such an opportunity to enjoy building your wedding. Millions – if not billions – of women, cannot and will not have such an opportunity, so watching one woman with this chance certainly brings a great deal of interest and attention.
Time Has Been Lost Getting Emotionally Invested in an Influencer’s Life
Imagine being a young woman and watching this stranger online every day for many days, months, and years, where so much time and energy have been spent watching and getting emotionally invested in a stranger’s life…
You have to wonder how much time has been lost for more important, meaningful things. The influencer’s wedding process was geared and manipulated so well that it captured the attention of millions of women.
I know how easy it is as a young woman to get sucked into these things. As a teenager, I was obsessed with all the major boy bands and pop stars. I had all the posters on the wall, all the CDs to listen to. I would buy the magazines at the store, read them, and daydream about seeing them in concert. I would talk about them constantly with family and friends.
This whole obsession consumed much of my time and energy as a girl. It made me go more in my mind than be in the physical world. Looking in retrospect, I wish I could have spent more time riding my bike or learning how to garden instead.
The Youth Are Most Susceptible to Manipulation
The youth are some of the most important people in our world. They have the energy and vitality to help shape our world in a better way.
Yet, the system and people who work in consumerism know that young people are the most susceptible to manipulation, so they utilize this for profit and power through the media, school system, etc.
Now, social media companies design their apps to keep you on there for as long as possible so you can be studied and marketed to. They especially want young people to get emotionally involved in stranger’s lives – and watch a lot of their content. But the more time consumed online, brings an imbalance to living in the real world.
The Life of a Watcher
For example: You start watching the life of a particular influencer. You spent more time watching her than doing real life things. You desire her life. You start talking about her life with friends, and you get your friends involved.
Soon, you develop a relationship with this stranger online, either in your mind or through talking to this stranger online. The relationship becomes personal. If something happens in the influencer’s life, you are affected by it.
You start to become emotionally involved, and soon, you can’t stop thinking about it, and this gets in the way of engaging in physical activities. Simple chores like cleaning your room or doing laundry doesn’t produce the same feelings you get from watching a 7-second reel on social media from someone’s life you’re hooked on.
Physical reality becomes difficult to deal with because your mind and emotions become difficult to deal with. The only space that makes you feel better is being on the phone or social media.
Then, as time goes by, you become older, you have to get a job, and you have to talk with people. However, you lost so much time – time that could have been spent developing social skills, reading books, and going outside. So much of life passed you by because something on a telephone screen got your attention.
I am here to say that, please be careful of spending too much time watching strangers’ lives and getting emotionally involved with them. You may end up a year later wondering why you spent 365 days watching a young woman plan her wedding – an event that you were not invited to or played any part in – and become disappointed in her wedding dress on the final day. You wonder if it was worth it – if all that time spent getting emotionally involved in a stranger’s life was worth it.
Physical Reality is More Important than Online
Our physical reality is far more important than images on a screen. We need to find healthy ways to harness our time and energy to support ourselves and this Earth. We need people who care for the Earth, humans, plants, and animals to take action to address real-life concerns.
We need humans to care more about life than consumerism.
We need humans to make a stand and commit to placing more attention and time on things that truly matter in life – that help us grow and make our lives and the lives of others become better. I would like to be this human. Would you join me in being this, too?
Featured photo by Karla Rivera