If you were to stand in the middle of JCHS’ Concert/Performance Auditorium during an assembly, throw a water balloon into the air and watch it fall and explode on a student’s head, the soaked victim would almost inevitably have a presence of some form on social media.
The digital world has captivated young and old demographics alike, with research suggesting that 95% of teenagers in North America and 90% of adults in highly developed countries are actively engaged online. This phenomenon has not occurred by chance: platforms such as Instagram, Tik Tok and Twitter have been meticulously engineered to provide addictive experiences that effortlessly draw in potential users and ensure that they will constantly come back for more. These dominant social media platforms have most effectively achieved this through their shared primary function: posting.
With it taking mere seconds to share a post online, users of all platforms have taken advantage of this feature to share pictures, videos and messages with their virtual communities—at times to an obsessive degree.
But what exactly is the appeal of posting, and how has it affected how people interact in today’s world—for the better or worse?
These are the questions that this series will seek to answer by interviewing anonymous students from the many different social spheres at JCHS, offering a look into the universal and varying impacts of posting culture across demographics. I chose to begin this series by talking with an actor from the distinct community of JCHS’s theater program. Below, you will find the dialogue that I had with this student, whose thoughtful responses to my questions gave valuable insight into an honest and healthy approach to having a social media presence.
Why do we Post?
Part 1: THE ACTOR
JC-CALDRON (Myself)
How often do you post? How long have you been posting for?
The Actor
I don’t post often, normally just for holidays or like special events. I think I’ve had Instagram since 6th grade, so over 8 years about. I post more on my story* like reposting my sports team but otherwise I don’t post often. Might be lucky for me to get 5-7 post a year.
*Story: Instagram users have the option to upload “stories” to their accounts, which are posts that expire after 24 hours.
JC-CALDRON
For you, what is the purpose(s) of posting about those special events and uploading to your story? You can give general reasons and/or case-specific reasons.
The Actor
Most of the time [to] show how grateful I am for the people in my life or that people were there. Most of the time to show the love for my friends or the people I have in my life. Or, another reason why I might post is because it was a very important or special moment in my life and if people weren’t there or didn’t get to experience it, the post kind of helps make that experience and connection.
[An] example…is lucky stiff and clue*. Those were my first musical and play. So the people that weren’t able to see it kind of got to experience it through my post, but still showing how grateful I was to work with such an amazing cast.
*Lucky Stiff, Clue: JCHS’ Fall play and Spring musical of the 2024-2025 school year.
JC-CALDRON
I’m curious, do you go through these special events with the intention of posting about them or do you decide afterwards whether or not you will? And if you go into these moments knowing you’ll post about them, does that change how you experience them?
Also, do you ever feel pressured or socially expected to post? If you hadn’t posted about the musical or play, would you have been afraid of people interpreting that as you being ungrateful?
The Actor
[Answer to first of the two above questions] No most of the time I’ll post it if I look back at my camera roll and see good pictures and I’ll be like “ooo this are good photos I’ll post it for the event” or sometimes if I see other people who were posting about the event sometimes I will too. But if the question is like do I feel pressured to do it then no…It’s not really a game of attention for me it’s just a game of let me catch people up what I’m doing.
Especially when im with my friends tho, I am like the mom of the group and sometimes ill take photos but its just because I like looking back at photos and being like “that night was amazing” but otherwise…I try to stay off my phone and kinda live in the moment
[Answer to the second question] Not really, like I said before I don’t really like posting that much….it feels like too much work and a lot of people know that….[With my Clue and Lucky Stiff posts,] there was more of “I should probably post” but I really didn’t feel forced. I just did it because I wanted to, and if I didn’t want to I wouldn’t have done it.
JC-CALDRON
That’s great, I know that a lot of people get wrapped up in what they think is and isn’t expected from their social groups—glad that doesn’t apply to you!
When you post, how do you feel afterwards? Do those feelings provide a sense of fulfillment or confidence?
The Actor
When I post I just get curious who likes it but otherwise…not really. It’s just a post, and that’s all I kind of see it as. I think it’s also because I have so many other things to worry about that worrying about an Instagram post is legit the least of my worries.
If my friends like the post then they like the post. Which every single time they do unless I put a bad photo in it but then that becomes an inside joke for like a month, so no matter what, it’s fun and something good normally comes out of it.
JC-CALDRON
Hahahaha, that’s awesome.
Lastly, would you say that you’ve learned anything from posting or seeing people post?
The Actor
Might learn more about the [other] person, but otherwise, not really. I feel like a post is an identity, and I feel like you can never really trust a post. If you want to learn about that person, talk to them…[don’t let] an app cloud your judgement.
JC-CALDRON
Yeah, that’s a great perspective to have. One of the major problems with posting is definitely how easy it is to curate a false narrative about your life and who you are, and to share that story with others online rather than one that rings true. It’s refreshing to see that you’ve found a way to post that doesn’t entail lying to others about who you are.
So those are all the questions I have for you, thank you so much for taking the time to write such thoughtful answers!!
+++ End of Dialogue +++
Takeaways
When posting online comes to mind, it is easy to associate it with the stereotypical negative side effects and unadmirable motives. However, this student showed that for every person who presents himself dishonestly on social media and takes pains to keep that false story alive, there is another user who posts sparingly, only when he is moved to convey his appreciation for those around him and his gratitude for the meaningful experiences that he gets to share with them. Despite how the cultures of online platforms have been carefully designed to suck their users into draining, all-consuming spirals of sharing content and keeping up with that of others, there are still ways to enjoy posting without growing attached to the intentionally overstimulating activity—as shown by The Actor.
But will his peers be able to relate in later issues? Or will the interviewees of the parts to come shine a light on the more intensive spheres of online communities?
This will be made clear in the February Issue of The Caldron, when this series returns for Part 2: THE ATHLETE.
Works Cited
