Smiling For The Algorithm

Look around… The streets are filled with wannabe supermodels. Heads buried in their phones, polishing their Insta personas. Every corner is a photo op, every meal a post, every thought an opportunity for a status update. It’s like we’re all extras in some digital Truman Show, where the real world is just a backdrop to the main event… Themselves.

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I’ll give it to them though, this generation has nailed the art of branding their “content” so on point, it makes old-school advertising executives look like Neanderthals playing with charcoal. You’ve got these kids airbrushing their own personalities until they’re smoother than a tequila shot in Tulum. Every “like,” every little heart or comment is another hit of dopamine; one more validation that yes, you’re fabulous. Well you know what ? You’re not just fabulous… You’re iconic!

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Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to torch the whole idea of wanting to look good. Go ahead, put on some decent threads and work the angles. But somewhere along the line, we went from “Putting our best foot forward” to “Let’s obsess over this imaginary audience that couldn’t care less in real life”.

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When did it become normal to spend hours perfecting photos of us doing…nothing? Just sitting on a couch or holding a latte like it’s some sacramental ritual? And the saddest part is that people start mistaking the façade for the person. Everyone’s dating a highlight reel, no one’s signing up for the behind-the-scenes footage… the real stuff that doesn’t look so great in 4K. The insecurities, the flaws, the weird quirks, the late nights, the messy mornings. All that’s edited out, left on the cutting-room floor.

So what do you do? Keep swiping, keep double-tapping, keep pretending that a pixelated version of a stranger’s life is somehow better than yours. Because these avatars, these perfectly cropped, filtered projections, they’ve mastered a lie we all want to believe: that life is clean, simple, and beautiful… as long as you don’t look too closely.

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The truth is messy, fellas. It’s cracked screens and bad lighting, it’s days where you don’t feel “photo-ready.” But that’s the good stuff; that’s where the real story is. Not in your tenth identical selfie or the same sunset shot as everyone else on your feed.

You want to be real? Then ditch the audience and let the mask slip. You might not get as many likes, but you’ll get something better… a life that’s actually yours.