“You are what you eat,” is a sentiment that has been around for quite some time. It is usually a phrase that is used by health guroos when concerning your literal diet, yet there are other things it can be used for as well. For instance, let’s expand this metaphor to the phrase, “you eat with your eyes.” Those who use it do not literally mean that you eat with their eyes, but it does mean that what you look at can be consumed.
Consumed in this sense pertains to the psychological absorption and integration of visual stimuli, may you be looking at something enticing or may it be data. To build further I could use, “monkey see, monkey do.” A crude metaphor stating that what one sees is often reciprocated in one way or another.
So, if you can eat with your eyes and you can digest and copy what you can see, it makes sense that the saying, “you are what you eat,” can easily be attributed to social situations.
In 2023, the sentiment goes even further as with social media and constant screen time on a daily basis, the worlds we immerse ourselves in online are incredibly important. They are crucial for the fact that what we submerge ourselves in virtually, is in one way or another going to affect our minds and very selves.
Our phones over the years have evolved into our own personal virtual bubbles where we plant and scroll for hours out of the day. Maybe we are watching old family videos, or inspirational speeches, listening to various podcasts or sources of news. Or simply just following people that make you laugh, intrigue you or share a similar opinion as yourself, there is constant information to absorb, digest and integrate regardless of the kind of information.
It is said that many things grow based on their environment, and we are no different as we grow the mind in its own separate environment in the online world of social media. It is vital then that we watch what we “eat” in respect to what we watch on the screens we love so dearly. We are what we eat in the worlds online that take up such a prevalent amount of time out of our day.
Some waste away at their screens as their minds are planted in decaying soil around stagnant water, endlessly scrolling through frivolous things like which latest celebrity did what or five-minute crafts. Some get drawn into waging online wars over differing ideologies on various subjects of a social nature may it be political, feminist or sexual in nature. Some even, ingrained in violence, become the very things they fantasize about and can become quite aggressive or even violent individuals themselves.
I try to be far more selective with my environment of pixels and coding, avoiding many of the things previously mentioned. Otherwise, I try to minimize the content to just keep tabs on what others may view as important. I love to subscribe to channels of inspiration and creative empowerment. Following those that are where I want to be in life, may it be personality wise, career wise, or even just socially. The topic of money is something I constantly keep on my for you page, as it is something that should always be on my mind. I am fervently seeking an online culture that pushes me and where there are others that want what I do or already have it.
These are the things that I strive for when it comes to a virtual environment, however even I am not above the occasional mindless scroll to either burn time or give my brain something to detach with, nor is there anything wrong with doing so. It is just important to not get stuck in uselessness and it is essential to understand the importance of what is viewed on our screens and what we subscribe to, as no matter how small it may seem it always has some kind of effect.
As time moves forward, the worlds of reality and virtuality are consistently merging closer together. They seem to affect each other more and more as time passes, and as they bleed into one another it’s easy to see the importance in properly cultivating the environments of both. For we are what we eat in this day and age, and I feel that statement will only become more potent as time goes on. When it comes to your social media, keep in mind, “monkey see, monkey do,” and let’s hope that with all the crude, crazy and downright cruel things out there on the internet, that some sayings do not always come true.
