How does social media create plastic people? In my research project I will discuss the effects of social media and teens in various ways. I chose this topic because I feel our society today is distracted. I unfold this problem with the creation of a multimedia project. Below you can view the different pieces I’ve created to inform more about plastic people. I interviewed a friend who’s constantly on his phone, and did a Proust Questionnaire inspired piece with my other interviews. I also created some poems and a recipe for disaster. One of my personal favorites is my comic book, I hope you enjoy that one as much as I did making it. At the bottom of this screen, I hope you grasp the understanding of plastic people. Social media creates plastic people through false narrative. The digital platform is a scale for self worth defined by how many likes you get. It’s time to put the time suckers down and look up!
THE WANT POEM
All I’d like
Is another like
To put me over the edge
All I want
Is another follow
So they can watch me wallow
In my pride
All I want
Is to be like her
That picture perfect life
She seems like a great wife
All I want
Is to get more likes
So I can feel fulfilled
But right now I feel still
Watching
Sitting
Staring
Waiting
For something more entertaining
All I’d like
Is another like
To put me over the edge
All I want
Is another follow
So they can watch me wallow
In my pride
All I want
Is to be like her
That picture perfect life
She seems like a great wife
All I want
Is to get more likes
So I can feel fulfilled
But right now I feel still
Watching
Sitting
Staring
Waiting
For something more entertaining
PLASTIC PEOPLE OP ED
ARCC’S DICTIONARY
•social media• 1 a form of entertainment through technology. 2 meant for connection between humans. 3 Morphed platform for a diluted sense of self.
•FOMO• 1 Fear of missing out 2 a desire to be continually connected with what others are doing
•society• a group of beings in a community conforming to one another
•plastic people• 1 beings that seek validation through others. 2 creatures that are addicted to technology. 3 fake. 4 sell their lives online.
•happiness• 1 a wonderful feeling that can only be achieved if you’re willing. 2 the most important things in life are invisible.
•social media• 1 a form of entertainment through technology. 2 meant for connection between humans. 3 Morphed platform for a diluted sense of self.
•FOMO• 1 Fear of missing out 2 a desire to be continually connected with what others are doing
•society• a group of beings in a community conforming to one another
•plastic people• 1 beings that seek validation through others. 2 creatures that are addicted to technology. 3 fake. 4 sell their lives online.
•happiness• 1 a wonderful feeling that can only be achieved if you’re willing. 2 the most important things in life are invisible.
ACROSS
2. society
3. future
4. perfect life
6. addiction
7. plastic people
8. happiness
DOWN
1. multi media
2. social media
3. friends
5. FOMO
2. society
3. future
4. perfect life
6. addiction
7. plastic people
8. happiness
DOWN
1. multi media
2. social media
3. friends
5. FOMO
PLASTIC PEOPLE RECIPE
1 cup of low self esteem
3tbs of fake friends
1 Phone
4 cups of society
3 cups of Facebook
1 cup of Twitter
3tbs of tinder
2 cups of Instagram
4 tbs of FOMO
1 tsp of self worth
2 tsps of “the perfect life”
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and start cutting up your low self esteem. Afterwards get a pan and put it on medium heat. Melt the fake friends and comparison together, mixing constantly, until it thickens.
In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients: Facebook, Twitter, Tinder, and Instagram. Stir until there’s no more lumps. Slowly combine your dry mixture to the pan.
When it all starts to bubble over, sprinkle in your self -worth, and gradually fold in the FOMO. Stir until your arm hurts.
When you’re mixture catches on fire, it’s finished! Place your master piece on top of the phone, and garnish with “the perfect life”
Now you’re ready to dig in!
Be sure to share this recipe on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!
Follow us @SocietysKitchen_sucks
The Plastic People Cartoon:
This is an interview I recorded with my friend Adam. We discuss social media and the defaults of it. This was my first interview, not all of the questions down below in my “Proust Plastic Questionare” were answered here. But this is a more in depth interview comparison, I hope you enjoy!
PROUST PLASTIC QUESTIONNAIRE
I interviewed 7 other people to get different perspectives on social media. Some are male, some female friends, they all had similar answers to most of the questions. They spend a smilar amount of their day online, but have some different views on how it effects them.
When did you first get social media?
Isaac: Freshman year of Highschool
Ray: Freshman year
Cormac: 5th grade, Facebook
Rachel:15
Olivia: 11
David:13
Juliette:11
2.How often do you use it everyday?
Isaac: Couple hours
Ray: 2 hours
Cormac: 10 minutes max
Rachel: 2 hours
Olivia: 2 maybe 3 hours
David: Often, 3 or 4 hours
Juliette: 4 hours
3. How does social media affect your life?
Isaac: nothing really, I use it when I’m bored
Ray: I use it to pass time
Cormac: doesn’t really affect my life
Rachel: I like interacting with people, I can get to know more people
Olivia: meet more people, more interactions
David: let’s me know if there’s a problem
Juliette: keeps me occupied, it’s good for the background parts in the day
4. Does it make you happy?
Isaac: sometimes, it’s cool context, Dopamine I guess
Ray: yeah
Cormac: I wouldn’t say it makes me happy, it’s just a distraction
Rachel: happy? Yeah, no
Olivia: happy? No, it’s more of a convince
David: happy? More like indifferent, church makes me happy
Juliette: yes.
5. Can you go without it?
Isaac: yeah, yeaaahh
Ray: I don’t know
Cormac: I can definitely go without it
Rachel: yeah, I went 2 years without a phone (grounded)
Olivia: yes I could go without it, easier to sleep
David: yes
Juliette. Yeah
6. Are you growing as a person from social media?
Isaac: absolutely not
Ray: it doesn’t help you grow
Cormac: not growing as a person
Rachel: no
Olivia: growing in a way, I don’t know if it’s negative or positive though, I feel I’m more logical
David: kind of, it helps me know what’s going on
Juliette: I don’t know
7. What does “plastic people” mean?
Isaac: fake, like valley girls, where they see themselves as a price tag
Ray: fake
Cormac: fake people who need validation through others
Rachel: fake
Olivia: fake
David: they don’t socialize, addicted to their phone, FOMO
Juliette: Addicted.
8. What is the future of social media?
Isaac: more intense
Ray: way bigger
Cormac: the first episode of black mirror on Netflix
Rachel: more platforms
Olivia: less human interaction
David: there’s gonna be something new, something people will “fall in love” with
Juliette: MORE ADDICTION
PLASTIC PEOPLE POEM
Plastic people surround me
All I see are phones around me
Can’t you see beyond that screen?
You’re making our ancestors scream
Is this the new American Dream?
Where people’s smiles gleam
In their pictures as they seem
But In real life
They want to scream
Because this isn’t a Dream
Do you even know what I mean?
Or
Are you just scrolling too
Down the time stream