In the article “Death of the private self: how fifteen years of Facebook changed the human condition”,  the author argues that social media platforms like Facebook have diminished the barrier between public and private lives because of how open our lives have become due to said social media platforms.  When we’re out in public, we tend to present the best versions of ourselves, whether that is in school, or at work. In the past, coming home to your private life with your friends, and family was a way for you to unwind and revert back to being your true self. With your family and friends, you tend to be able to be more care-free and relaxed, not being afraid of showing your flaws.  However, with the rise of social media, humans have now extended the facade of their public life onto the webs. On platforms such as Facebook, and Instagram, that same perfect version of you is often displayed for others to marvel at.  According to a quote from the article, “Ofcom says that children’s most visible accounts tend to “be more highly curated, showing a ‘picture-perfect’ self”.” Even at the comforts of your home, people now continue their” public self” online on social media platforms.  Now, our private selves are more reserved, being only visible to our close friends and family members, both online and in real life.

My life has definitely revolved a lot around social media, as it has been a primary way of communication between my friends and I.  Having grown up with the rise of social media, my generation is the most familiar with platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. My first social media account, which was Facebook, was created when I was only in the fourth grade.  It allowed me an opportunity to continue socializing with my classmates after school.  My depiction of my life usually depends on the social media app that I’m on. On websites such as Facebook, or Instagram, the image of myself that I tend to portray leans towards my public self. On social media apps such as snap chat, which usually involve only my closest friends, I tend to show my more private self. Additionally, my snap chat tends to be more of a showcase of my day to day life and routine, while on platforms such as Instagram , I only post on special occasions to highlight something I deem worth sharing.