I lied yesterday. I said I’d be returning to normally scheduled programming, but today has been another jam-packed day so I wanted to do something fun again. I had an idea…what if social media platforms were actually modern manifestations of the Seven Deadly Sins? This might sound crazy, but hear me out. I think this could get interesting…
Without further ado, the Seven Deadly (Social Media) Sins:
Pride a.k.a. Snapchat
Snapchat is the place to show the world every single little thing you do. From dinner to concerts to you in your birthday suit, it’s basically one big “Look at me!” show. According to the dictionary, the definition of pride is “a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements.” What better way to showcase this than a quick snap to all of your friends (and emotionally unavailable situationships)?
Greed a.k.a. Facebook
Facebook is the modern day equivalent of King Midas. It always wants more (to the point of hurting its own brand). First it was Instagram, now its Meta. I’m waiting for Facebook to announce it’s next move will be a chip implanted in your brain. Then there’s the data. Facebook (and it’s daughter Instagram) are constantly taking more and more of our information and analyzing our behaviors. How annoyingly accurate are those ads that come up every third scroll? Yea, that’s not by accident.
Wrath a.k.a. Twitter
Twitter is the modern town square, and like all good town squares, it has it’s very own (virtual) lynch mob. I’ve never seen so much consequence-free hatred anywhere in my life. You have an opinion on literally anything, and I can pretty much guarantee the Twitter Mob is around the corner waiting to pounce.
Envy a.k.a. Instagram
Instagram is the place where everyone is perfect. Perfect bodies, perfect butts, perfect biceps. Pull behind the curtain, and “Voila!” It turns out everyone is still human. Constant exposure to unrealistic and fake expectations is a sure-fire way to feel like shit about yourself and wish you had someone else’s life. I’m certainly a culprit of this.
Lust a.k.a. OnlyFans
I looked up the description of OnlyFans and yes, they claim to be a “social media platform”. It’s no secret what OnlyFans really is - amateur porn. It’s a haven for lust of all kinds to run wild. I’m not going to provide any moral judgements here, just calling it as it is.
Gluttony a.k.a. YouTube
Gluttony doesn’t strictly refer to food. In this case, it’s content. How many times have you gone down a YouTube rabbit hole only to realize it’s three hours later and you left the stove on? Access to an infinite amount of video content can be very beneficial, but take it too far and it can become crippling.
Sloth a.k.a. TikTok
Have you ever seen someone in a TikTok black hole? It’s frightening. TikTok is literally designed to keep you as addicted as possible, stranded on your couch for hours watching people do all kinds of weird shit. As a society we’ve never seen anything like it. It’s going to be interesting to see how the kids who are growing up on TikTok turn out.
Notable Mentions: LinkedIn, Pinterest and Reddit..
Let me make a disclaimer here - social media platforms are not inherently bad. They’re actually some of the most amazing human inventions to date. They can bring connection, wealth and joy in previously unforeseen ways, and that’s a beautiful thing. I’m on Instagram and Twitter with Modern Bronze, and launching the rest this week (except for OnlyFans - for now :). They do each have their own dark side, though, and this is just a fun way to shine a little light on that. As with everything in life, balance is key (I’m talking to you, but it’s also a good reminder for myself).
Do you agree with this list? Would yours be different? Let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already. Follow me on Envy, um, I mean Instagram (@modern.bronze) for more daily content.