It’s not exactly a controversial take to say that social media has drastically changed the world. The bigger question is whether or not that change is a good thing or a bad thing. It’s easy to look at the talk about social media and see it as a herald of the end of days. Timothèe Chalamet recently said that social media could lead to “societal collapse” and his comments went viral. Now, the actor is walking back the statement, admitting his perspective on social media is very different than a lot of people.
Timothèe Chalamet was at the Venice Film Festival when he made his comments that he thought it was “hard to be alive” today. This was due to social media and the way that everybody on it is constantly judged. Speaking to Variety, Chalamet tried to put his previous statements in context, saying that the situation for those that have grown up with social media has to be tough, compared to those of us that saw it in its infancy. Chalamet said…
I think what I was saying was really, ’What would it be like to grow up now? I guess I’m still growing up. Especially in the context of my career, I’m still growing. But I think Taylor and my generation was really the level-one social media — Vine, MySpace. And I think now it’s just more ingrained. But I’m definitely not the authority on the subject. And, equally, it could be a great space to find your people.
For those of us the age of Timothèe Chalamet, and his Bones and All co-star Taylor Russell, or older, we experienced the very beginning of social media, when it was something new and wasn’t a necessary part of life. It was a fun diversion more than anything. Today, it’s essentially a necessary part of life, and it absolutely has a dark side.
Chalamet did say in his original comments, as he reiterates here, that for the younger generation, the one for whom social media has been the norm, things must be different and must be a lot tougher, to have grown up in this society where social media is judging you. We’ve seen numerous celebrities, like Letitia Wright, close social media accounts after they received significant backlash for things they did or said.
Chalamet doesn’t directly address his comments that he believes all this could lead to “societal collapse” but it’s perhaps understandable why he would have felt such a thing was possible. While it’s unclear if cultures are truly more divided than previously, social media has certainly given that impression.
But there is also a positive side to social media. As Timothèe Chalamet said before, and he says it again here, it can be an incredible tool for helping you find people you might not otherwise meet that can change your life for the better. Fans of theme parks or particular movie genres can discuss what they love with people they may never meet in person. In the end, maybe this positive element of social media will become its defining characteristic.