Whilst the youth culture of today does seem to be preoccupied with making themselves ‘perfect’, at the same time those people want to watch others they deem perfect to learn from them, envy them and idolise them. Social media users will be constantly overwhelmed with presentations of the ‘perfect’ idealised person, and thus the image of perfection remains in constant circulation amongst youths, a constant reminder of their own inability to recreate this level of perfection. Because people present themselves in this idealised fashion, their audiences can become excessively enviable or overly appreciative of their success. This frenzied excitement and obsession at finding the ‘perfect’ person leads to a culture of what is known colloquially as ‘fangirling’. Often the objects of youth’s affections tend to be celebrities, or people in the public eye - band members, actors or online personalities such as Essena O’ Neill for example.
Their personal lives seem easily accessible through their use of social media in which they post about their day to day lives, and we can see how they interact and behave, despite not having physically met them. Online identities can lead people to believe they really know the person being presented despite having never met them. These celebrities, in their search for fame and acknowledgement, involuntarily give up their right to a private life as consumerism preys on these ‘perfect’ people in an attempt to expose their imperfections, to reground them on the publicly achievable level of perfection. Yet, paradoxically, consumerist industries also use these elevated people to promote their products with the implication: ‘I use this product to achieve my perfect look’ - thus connoting that anyone can be as perfect as this celebrity if only they submit to consumerism.
"Social media and appearance addiction has taken over our youth"
Millennials.