Classic Fishing Without Bait 452: Is Social Media Real Life?
Is Social Media Real Life? Why We're Revisiting FWB 452
Sometimes an older conversation suddenly feels like it was recorded for the moment we're living in now.
That's why we're going back into the Fishing Without Bait archives this week.
As another school year begins, social media and its relationship with young people is once again a major part of the national conversation. Questions surrounding screen time, online safety, social comparison, mental health, age restrictions, and the responsibilities of technology companies continue to make headlines.
Against that backdrop, our conversation with Chris Maverick from Fishing Without Bait Episode 452 deserves another listen.
Chris is a professor of digital narrative interactive design at the University of Pittsburgh, a scholar of popular culture, a podcaster, and a former professional wrestler.
That combination gives him an interesting perspective on something we all encounter every day: performance.
We Understand Wrestling Is a Performance
Professional wrestling asks the audience to participate in a story.
There are heroes. There are villains. There are rivalries. There are larger-than-life personalities.
Chris talks with Jim about developing wrestling personas and how performers take parts of themselves and turn the volume up.
The audience understands that process.
We know the wrestler we're seeing in the ring isn't necessarily the exact same person who goes home, buys groceries, argues about toothpaste, worries about bills, or sits on the couch watching television.
But do we remember that when we open Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, or another social platform?
Social Media Is a Filtered Reality
One of the most important ideas in this episode is Chris's description of social media as a kind of broadcast medium.
What someone puts online may be real, but it isn't necessarily their entire reality.
We see the vacation.
We don't see the credit card bill.
We see the perfect photograph.
We don't see the dozens—or hundreds—of pictures that weren't posted.
We see the anniversary message.
We don't see the argument about who forgot to buy toothpaste.
And yet we can easily begin comparing everything happening in our own lives with those selected pieces of someone else's.
That's where expectations become dangerous.
Stop Comparing Your Behind-the-Scenes to Someone's Highlight Reel
Fishing Without Bait has always focused on living without definitive expectations.
Social media can create thousands of them.
We can convince ourselves that everyone else is happier, wealthier, more successful, more attractive, more confident, more loved, or somehow further ahead.
But we're comparing two very different things.
We know everything that's happening inside our own lives.
We only know what someone else has chosen to show us.
Mindfulness gives us an alternative.
Instead of asking:
Why isn't my life like theirs?
We can ask:
What do I actually know for sure?
What is happening in my life right now?
What deserves my attention?
What am I grateful for?
What can I actually control?
Disconnect to Connect
Technology doesn't have to be the enemy.
Entertainment can be fun. Social media can connect people. Online communities can educate, inspire, entertain, and help people find one another.
The challenge comes when entertainment becomes comparison, connection becomes maintenance, and somebody else's presentation begins defining how we feel about ourselves.
Sometimes we need to disconnect from everything demanding our attention so we can reconnect with the people, experiences, hobbies, relationships, and ordinary moments happening directly in front of us.
That's why we're revisiting this conversation now.
The headlines may have changed since January 2025.
The platforms may keep changing.
But the question remains:
Are you living your life—or comparing it to someone else's performance?
Listen to this classic Fishing Without Bait conversation with Chris Maverick at:
Learn more about Chris Maverick and the VoxPopcast:
www.voxpopcast.com
