Final Project Excerpt

            Image-sharing platforms, like Instagram, also reduce the authenticity of someone . 68% of US adults use Facebook and 28% of US adults use Instagram (PewResearchCenter). Facebook is the dominant form of social media by far and 20% of time spent online is on social media platforms. The majority of these apps involve people posting about the best part of their lives such as achievements and flattering pictures. People rarely post the unattractive pictures or sad parts about their lives. This means that a person’s whole social media presence is almost exclusively filled with happy moments. But realistically, people are not happy all the time despite what their social media portrays them to be. This is a perfect example of how a person’s social media misrepresents their true persona. This misrepresentation supports Benjamin’s idea that a photograph has less aura and authenticity than the original and real life person.