For me it flashed – the similarities between one horror movie and social media. I had to message my friend on a social platform. I took the most logical step of opening the app. The app opens. I scroll through my feed, looking at the most exciting things going on in the world.
After 5 minutes of scrolling, I realize there was a reason why I was on the app.
In that moment, I can’t remember what the reason was, so I log out of the app. And then my original intention of being on the app, pops in my head.
I log in again. The feed tries to distract me but my intention is strong. I head directly to the messages sections and find my friend…
During the whole process, something unusual popped in my head. Something uncomfortable until I decided to dive deep into that thought and connect the dots.
That’s when it flashed in my head – the Victorian-era mirror in the horror movie Oculus and the social media. Once I began connecting the dots, I saw a terrible pattern between the two. In this post, you’ll see exactly that.
Contents
Before reading further, read this…
Before we dive into the similarities between the horror movie and social media, let me clear one thing. This post contains spoilers. If you haven’t watched the movie Oculus, be prepared for spoilers. This is an official spoiler alert.
Oculus is a horror film which will send you chills down the spine, if you’re afraid of horror.
In my opinion, it’s a great film if you want to feel horror. The movie does a great job at convincing you what real life horror could look like. When you truly understand the powers of the mirror, you’ll be left feeling helpless, hopeless and depressed.
Back to main point, this post is biased. It’s one way of looking at things. I have taken the worst of both sides and presented my views on it. If you’re uncomfortable with that, you may stop reading any further.
Not sure what’s great in the movie, but social media has a lot of positives. Unfortunately, this post won’t cover them. If you’re reading till this point and are comfortable with all the conditions, you can read further.
1. Both can make you forget about things
In the movie Oculus, there are people who try to destroy the mirror. A duke tried to do it, he failed. Later Tim, the main character in the movie, tried to destroy it with his baseball bat. As he went closer to the mirror, he stared into own reflection, got lost …
And “forgot” to destroy the mirror.
How many times do you open an app to message someone, then scroll through the feed and forget your main motive of opening the app?
Just like the mirror in the movie, social media can make you forget why you ended up there.
2. Alters your perception of reality
The mirror in Oculus has a superpower to manipulate anyone’s mind. With it’s power the mirror manipulates the mind of the Marie by filling up the voice in her head. The manipulation divides the family. It was extremely disturbing to watch that particular scene.
While social media doesn’t have the superpower to directly manipulate your mind, it leverages the power of your friend’s circle to do that.
“What are they both doing together? Didn’t they break up?”
“Everyone’s meeting up after the lockdown. What am I doing at home?”
Have these thoughts ever entered the realm of your mind? They must have. We get caught up in FOMO(Fear of missing out), think that someone’s social profile is their best life and kick ourselves for not living our best life.
In the end, both the social media and the mirror are altering our perception of reality.
The all powerful Victorian-era mirror can also manipulate the vision of the characters. This means that the mirror can show two completely different things to two people – standing in the same room, right next to each other. Call it hallucination or whatever you like, but you’ll only see what the mirror wants you to see.
Isn’t it the same with social media algorithms? Whatever the algorithm finds is the best for us, is what we will see. To a large extent, the algorithm also gives you recommendations, based on what your peers like. So how much do you think you’re in control?
Mirror has the superpower, social media has the algorithm.
4. You can’t escape the cycle
Remember the scene where Tim and Kaylie were standing outside their home, ready to escape? What they saw next meant that there was no way they going to quit that game. Both, Tim and Kaylie, tried to escape but didn’t succeed. Once they were in the game there was no way, they were going out. They thought they would, but the mirror knew it wasn’t happening. The mirror uses every dirty trick to lure them back into their terribly hopeless reality, which not even your worst enemy would wish you to face.
Ever tried deleting a social media app? Did you miss getting the likes, comments and the reactions? Your friends soon rub your wounds – “How do you live your life?” Ohh… and then you reinstalled the app. Is this your story?
Dopamine is a powerful motivator and there’s no way around it. It’s what makes you human but it’s also what forces you to keep playing the game.
Social Media uses dopamine. The mirror in the movie is simply very powerful.
5. Both feed on the life of their users.
This one is the most disturbing. The mirror feeds on the energy of living beings to become powerful. A plant gives it strength. An animal makes it more powerful. A human being gives it the status of invincibility.
Social media is no different. It feeds on the energy of it’s users. Take away the users and the platform starts to lose it’s life. The wider the audience, the stronger it becomes. That’s also why it’s difficult to switch from one platform to another. Not only you get used to it, but also your friends get used to it. And what happens when you find one of your friend isn’t on the platform?
Referrals and rewards! Use your link to invite him or her. You’ll get a reward. You benefit, your friend benefits and the platform grows as well.
Conclusion
These were the 5 shocking similarities I found between a horror movie and social media. My friend convinced me to watch the movie Oculus, right in the middle of the night, during the most inauspicious time.
Without the movie, I wouldn’t have found the similarities. Without him, there was no way I could have presented my point of view. A huge thanks to him! The movie is available on Netflix. If you’re comfortable with fear and feeling helpless at the same time, do watch the movie.
Luckily, life is brighter than the movie Oculus. We can leverage social media to our advantage. We choose where to focus on.
What do you think about the social media? How would you rate the movie Oculus? Leave your comments below.