How do you determine a #goodlife? A discussion on the values we display on social media
I recently read a research paper that made me question the #goodlife narratives we support and portray. We could and should do much better if we want to inspire a more hopeful world.
I’m often told that the younger generation is more cognisant about the impact of their actions and driven by good causes such as sustainability and environmental activism. I’m told that the future they are inspired by is more humble and minimalist. I’m told that it’s the boomers who have ruined the planet and keep doing so while younger people know better.
Sometimes, when I look at social media, I wonder how true this is.
I recently discovered a study investigating what Instagram classifies as a good life. The researchers Anastasia Loukianov, Kate Burningham and Tim Jackson executed a qualitative analysis on 200 Instagram posts with the hashtag #goodlife and a network analysis of the relationships between the different hashtags associated with #goodlife in 793 posts. Knowing that many young people use Instagram (the largest age group of IG users are 18–24-year-olds), the researchers were looking for narratives about what constitutes a good life to understand what kind of narratives are available to young people. They were also interested in how important sustainability values are in these narratives.
The researchers discovered two dominant narratives they named ‘the good life of the self-made affluent entrepreneur’ and ‘the good life of the world-traveller’. The third, somewhat less popular and less distinct narrative was ‘the good life as shared experience’.
The first one, ‘the good life of the self-made affluent entrepreneur’ was represented, for example, by motivational quotes posted on photos of fictional characters such as Tony Montana from Scarface or Jordan Belfort from Wolf of Wall Street, or famous people such as Elon Musk. These quotes would say things such as “Let your past stay in the past. Make your future the legacy that will last.”
This narrative emphasised success as a self-made achievement, driven by hard work and an attitude of never giving up. It was supported by hashtags related to fitness, physical health, hard work, motivation, inspiration and dreams. This narrative portrayed entrepreneurial spirit as the source of a lavish, successful and materially affluent lifestyle.
The researchers concluded that this narrative about the good life was linked to male characteristics, achievement and a muscular physical presence. These posts were mostly published by men. Women who used the same hashtags were emphasising their femininity and focused on breaking the stereotype of this male-dominated category.
The second narrative, the one of the world-traveller was more representative of the stereotypically female domain, portraying beautiful aesthetics, food and significant others. The subject of images in this category was often a beautiful young woman in a stunning location or with aesthetically presented food.
Nature was also present in this category and characterised by blue skies, immaculate beaches and landscapes. The narrative focused on experiences rather than wealth. However, the exclusivity of the portrayed experiences and lifestyle suggested that wealth was present yet invisible. As the narrative was focused on exotic locations, it portrayed travel as a desirable lifestyle.
The third narrative showed some promise of a more humble version of the good life. This narrative of shared experiences displayed themes such as self, creative activities, physical activities, food and significant others.
Instead of focusing on the appearance of the user or someone else, these posts represented feelings and personal experiences. Unlike in the world-traveller narrative, here experiences gained through art, social life or physical activities weren’t depicted against a beautiful backdrop but valued in themselves. Also, these narratives were less focused on the self and more on shared experiences or creative expressions. The researchers conclude that this narrative has the greatest potential of the three to motivate more sustainable lifestyles.
So what does this research tell us about the future we’re promoting? That we could do much better.
The problem with the first two narratives is that they maintain the status quo rather than challenge it. They say a good life is inspirational only if it includes wealth and luxury experiences. They say that stereotypically male and female bodies are the ones we should idolise and strive to obtain. They say that consumption and luxury are the most important expressions of happiness. They say we must work hard and strive for individual success and fame.
As long as we hold on to the above worldviews and good life narratives, we’re unlikely to save the planet, decrease loneliness, increase inclusivity, embrace diversity. They hinder us from living lives that make us fulfilled on a soul level and revive a sense of community and caring.
What kind of good life do we inspire with our actions and stories?
Social media platforms such as Instagram encourage us to multiply dominant narratives so that we repeat and recycle the content types that other users engage with. As such, we also end up repeating the values that seem most popular. Because we aim to be liked and accepted, we give more of what others want to see and deem aspirational.
Whether we acknowledge it or not, each post and each hashtag we use serve as expressions of the worldviews we hold and encourage.
On a very concrete level, this means that:
If we choose to only post on social media when we’re on holiday, we’re saying that being on holiday in a beautiful location is the only thing worth mentioning in our lives, what we consider beautiful and valuable.
If we only post images of ourselves in full make-up and fashionable outfits, we are in fact saying that this is the version of us that we wish the world to see and the only version of ourselves that we fully accept to be seen.
If we only post about the professional successes and milestones in our careers, we’re saying that achievement and material success are natural expectations. Anything less is not worth discussing.
These are not choices we consciously make, but subconsciously. We’re always writing stories about who we are and what we aspire to be.
If you think you don’t have a personal brand, think again. Each and every one of us who’s active on social media has one, regardless of how deliberate it is. Social media turns our private and personal stories into public displays of our personalities and values. So whatever beliefs you hold about yourself, whether you know them or not, are visible to the outside world. The outsiders are reading your story, not your thoughts and internal explanations about the story. The more comfortable you become with your internal stories, beliefs and value systems, the more in control you become of the story you create and sustain.
This being said, there’s also significant positive potential in social media. We’ve all experienced it with movements such as #metoo, and #blacklivesmatter.
If we want to positively impact the world, we don’t necessarily need to commit to a big career path or start a charity. We can also choose a narrative about ourselves and the world that supports the values we want to represent and see repeated in this world. We can change the world for the better with each post.
Some alternative stories for people who want to contribute to more hopeful & sustainable narratives
As adults, we have the responsibility to honestly acknowledge our worldviews and values no matter how distorted and biased they may be.
If you’ve grown up anytime in the 1900s you’ll likely have beliefs about wealth, success, self-worth, gender, race and sexuality that might not promote an equal, non-discriminative, ecologically and socially sustainable society. I will quote Whitney Houston here and say, it’s not right but it’s okay. And by this I mean, it’s okay to acknowledge the beliefs we hold and the values we have. By doing so we can challenge them and find alternative versions to them.
Living in an ugly truth is better than living in denial.
If we aren’t honest about the potentially distorted, stereotypical or discriminating views we hold about the world and people – likely – we’ll end up promoting those views accidentally in the public displays of our lives.
I think the majority of those women who post aesthetically pleasing pictures of themselves in front of a beautiful backdrop of a Bali sunset would, if asked, say that they promote feminist and sustainable values. However, those values don’t necessarily come across in their images.
I’m not here to judge anybody and I’m just as guilty of these false success stories as the next person. I’m speaking to myself as much as I am to you when I say, we have the power to change the narratives about what a good life looks and feels like.
It’s not easy to say what is acceptable or not on social media and there are always biases we can’t even recognise for ourselves. But to be open and honest about my own thinking, here are a few ways that I’m trying to stay true to my values on platforms such as Instagram:
Sharing some of my life's struggles as well as successes.
Posting pictures of myself as I actually look like, flaws and all, without face-editing apps (I might adjust contrast and light to achieve the shades of colours I prefer).
I don’t share bikini pictures or nudity. This is not because I think women shouldn’t (I know many do this for good causes such as body positivity) but because to me, nudity feels like I’m baring too much of myself on a commercial platform and also placing unnecessary focus on my appearance.
Sharing stories from real life and not just travels. However, I also understand that after living in a few countries in recent years, my images of beautiful Portuguese sunsets can also trigger ideals about the traveller lifestyle even though to me, it’s my actual life and not travel. This is something I’m still trying to figure out.
Also posting pictures of something else than my face even though I know they get fewer likes.
Making conscious choices about which celebrities and brands to post about and with what tone.
Being mindful of posts about ‘luxury experiences’ such as spas, champagne glasses or fancy hotels because they are not representative of what I consider a happy, fulfilled lifestyle even though I enjoy luxuries from time to time.
Choosing to not post pictures of airplanes or glorifying travel intentionally.
Always doing a gut check before publishing to make sure whatever I post is authentic to my values and vulnerable if need be.
Understanding and accepting that I make mistakes and people might interpret things differently than I do. I try to remember it’s not so much about an individual post but the narrative of the whole
Social media can never capture the complexity of life and it doesn’t have to. It is a story in the same way a newspaper article or movie is a story. And every story is characterised by what is included and left out. We are the narrators of our own stories. What do you want yours to say?
Because I live to learn, I’d love to hear your perspective on this topic. Please leave a comment below to share how you’re approaching social media and what kind of rules or filters you have for your posts. I hope that by having an open and non-judgemental conversation about these good life narratives we can each find ways to promote the worldview we wholeheartedly want to support and dismantle stories that do the opposite.
Become the hope you wish to feel in this world.
With kindness,
Aurora