Plato, Instagram, Cervantes and Tinder

I mention Instagram, but it could be TikTok, Tinder, or the platform of the moment - it doesn't matter. What matters is that none of them can be taken as a serious representation of reality; instead they offer a degraded copy of it.

The problem isn't new; it goes back at least 2,500 years. Plato, in his allegory of the cave, explains how we can mistake a mere image, a copy of reality, for what is truly true - a concept similar to what we'd now call a 'thought experiment'. Imagine prisoners locked in a cave who have never seen the outside world because a wall blocks their view. They see shadows of outside events reflected on the wall, never questioning whether the shadows themselves are reality or mere projections. Now imagine a prisoner going out into the outside world and perceiving reality as it is. When he returns and shares his experience, the others don't believe him and think he's mad. Plato convinces us that the material reality we perceive is a degraded copy of a higher reality - that of pure forms. So we are dealing with a material, vulgar, corruptible and degraded world that comes from a purer, immaterial realm. That's why it's often said that Christianity owes much to Plato.

Centuries later, Miguel de Cervantes, through Don Quixote, warns of the danger of confusing the fantasy of chivalric books with the real world. Don Quixote, blinded by the code of chivalry and courtly love, mistakes windmills for giants and the rustic Dulcinea for a delicate princess.

As today's young (and not-so-young) people embrace the distorted images of social media as reality, they seem not far removed from the Platonic allegory or the feverish mind of Don Quixote. It's not just about the negative influence certain body types have on teenage girls. The impossibly round and large buttocks that are in vogue are just the tip of the iceberg.

The distortion extends to all areas of life. When a 15-year-old boy sees an attractive couple getting out of a Ferrari in a 10-second video, he believes this is the real world without questioning its authenticity.

Hundreds of examples could be given of how people distort reality to appear more attractive through filters, more intelligent by quoting books they have never read, or wealthier by showing photos in expensive places. It is the currency of dating apps. In any case, it is not a matter of being hypocritical and ignoring that we have all done it, whether on a CV to get a job or to impress our secret crush. Moreover, a postmodernist would ask us: 'What is reality, anyway?

Communication theorist Marshall McLuhan taught us that if 'the medium is the message', then social media (the medium) influences the content of the message we receive (big round butts, luxury cars, white teeth, expensive holidays, etc.). According to this, social media, which is essentially visual, tends to be much more emotional than descriptive. On the other hand, an article like this or a book is more rational and argumentative. The power of emotion, as we know, is much greater than that of argument, so it is important not to lose sight of the leverage that a message launched on social media has over, say, the written press.

The debate is now open. Should we limit the age of access to certain social networks? Is it the responsibility of the state or should it be left to citizens and parental responsibility? Is protection synonymous with restriction?