COVERS

Not long ago, I read an exposé written by an influencer about another quite popular influencer on social media. Let us call the one exposing the truth “Idol A” and the one being exposed “Idol B” to keep it simple.

A and B were close friends. They both are content creators with videos garnering hundreds of thousands of views, who also gained a significant amount of followers or so-called ”fans.” They showcased their luxurious lifestyles, inspiring many with their travel, work, and overall extravagant experiences.

However, one day, for unknown reasons, idol A posted a video on social media officially exposing idol B. Allegedly, they both started their social media channels with modest, personal life activities. Nonetheless, due to the choice of showcasing high-end, lavish experiences, they ended up incurring significant expenses to visit extraordinary places to film their vlogs. Initially, since B’s financial condition is not well, A footed the bill, being in a better financial position. However, this was also the savings that A had saved from previous jobs over many years. As both of them grew more prominent on social media, they spent even more, and when they started receiving fees from bookings, Idol B’s attitude and ways of collaborating with Idol A began to change.

In the video, A claimed to have invested a lot of money in those vlogs, and A even stayed up late many nights to finish editing the content. Meanwhile, B seemed to only contribute to her presence, acting, and shopping or selecting locations for their videos. From the outside, B appeared to live a more extravagant life, seemingly perfect, kind-hearted, and genuine – a “10 out of 10” as youngsters always say these days. However, according to A, B was someone who “loved to play but hated to work,” and only loved to act on videos but is the opposite person from their social media persona in real life.

Out of curiosity, I visited both their channels, and they were indeed the dream life of many young girls today: being beautiful, intelligent, always focusing on health, exercising, working, travelling, and wealthy – all displayed perfectly and wonderfully. Without that exposé, I think many would still believe in their success and the image they had meticulously built.

After reading the exposé, I smiled lightly. I was not laughing at the way these two young women chose to become famous on social media. I smiled because I realised that too many people are still stuck inside others’ “covers.”

“Covers”, in the direct and literal sense, refers to an item used to cover up or conceal something. In a figurative sense, it describes the things, the covers that people choose to present to the world while concealing what is less attractive inside.

Covers can directly impact people’s emotions, feelings, and worldviews, especially in this materialistic era. You only need a fancy car, some stylish clothes, the latest iPhone, fancy check-ins at luxurious places, resorts, 5-star hotels, or a few pictures with celebrities – all of this, when seen through images or videos, is nothing more than a “cover”.

Some people genuinely live like this. However, you know what? Not everyone who shares such things on social media truly lives that way, and the wealthier and more fortunate someone is, the less likely they are to flaunt their fortune, or possessions on social media. They tend to be more discreet, only deciding to reveal themselves when necessary.

Everything you see in others is what they want you to see. What you do not see is what they have already HIDDEN away from you!

Let me share another story to illustrate the “cover” definition and clarify the statement above.

I know a very pretty girl. Her social media account has many followers, mostly men. Not only is she pretty, but she also makes a good income, and if you see her on social media for the first time, you will likely find her very attractive.

A girl who typically wakes up at 6 AM every day, then sits down to make a to-do list. Then, she eats something light, and healthy and heads to the gym for a workout. At the gym, she often runs, lifts weights, and does squats – very energetic. After that, she goes back home, takes care of her skin, cooks lunch, and starts working. In the evening, she calls her family or hangs out with friends a bit. Everything usually wraps up before 11 PM, and she goes to sleep to wake up at 6 AM the next day for a similar routine.

However, do you know what truly happened? That version of her day only occurs in the videos she posts onto her social media accounts.

In reality, she would wake up at 6 AM to film herself waking up. She filmed herself making and eating a healthy breakfast to show people that she “knew” how to take care of herself. Her gym visits were mostly just to complete video shots, as she spent only five minutes there!

The truth is, after waking up early, she goes straight back to sleep, eats already available food like sausages or instant noodles, or orders fast food. She would go to a bar at 11 PM and return home at 1 AM, not just go to a cafe date in the cool afternoon. She barely even exercises – the only real things she does are work and talk to her family.

Those captivating and beautiful videos she shared on her profile attracted many people’s attention and admiration. She loves sharing her dreamy life for everyone to watch. Honestly, I also saw that she dreamed of a perfect life for herself too. However, the dream remains just that because she lacks the patience and dedication to genuinely build the life shown in her videos.

Some people may not be like her. Some may actually live what they portray in their videos. However, from what I know, many people just want to follow that “covered” lifestyle. They like being admired, awed, showered with praise and respect, or even acknowledged by others. Therefore, they strive to create a “covered” image that even they desire that figure deep within.

I do not deny the inspirational aspect of those “covered” videos. From some perspective, thanks to those videos, viewers are motivated to strive for a better life, start setting out goals of higher-quality features, and gradually improve themselves. It undoubtedly has positive effects on the audience.

However, these are just external impacts, directed outward at the viewers. How about those content creators, individuals who are living a life contrary to what they have built online? How will it affect them?

When you look at these “rich” people at such young ages, those who seem to have it all, those who have constructed “covers” so early for themselves, I am truly happy if they genuinely have the success they display because I have never used someone’s age to measure their success. They are young, so it is fine to flaunt a little. However, if their life is not truly as it seems, I know one day they will push themselves into a dead end, face consecutive crises, and hurt themselves. Even the elders, who choose the “covered” lifestyle and are more extroverted, are still not entirely immune to troubles and pitfalls. It is not just a challenge for young people.

Hence, my dear friend, remember this: Everything you see in others is what they WANT you to SEE.

Be cautious and clear-sighted about what you see in others. We use our hearts to treat others genuinely, but we also need to have a clear, wise perspective about them to understand them and reflect within ourselves.

We have the right to dream, to hope for all the wonderful things in life, and to take inspiration from others’ achievements as motivation to improve our lives. However, we should not always immerse ourselves in the successes or beauty of others’ lives to fantasise that everything is easy or to feel less fortunate than those people, my dear friend!

Life will get better for everyone, either one way or another. Let everything stay in its place, do not let those backdrops cover up those real values within yourself, my dear friend!

Much love,
Truly Inspired