The amount of studies dedicated to our need for self verification and fulfilment on social media are endless. IKEA’s latest campaign created by Acne, ‘Let’s Relax’ takes a jab at our compulsion to socialise and compete is no longer limited to social occasions. It’s invaded our homes, our dinner times.
This execution reveals the problem with our always-on social culture, the fact that we wait for somebody to perfectly to capture a meal is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s more that we capture moments, that were formerly intimate and personal, in order to satisfy a crowd of nameless faces who’s opinion takes precedence over the people that are present.
Bonding through food is by no means new. There’s a reason the saying ‘breaking bread’ exists. The issue is how we strive for social capital that, in this case gain through culinary capital (for meals that we haven’t even cooked), means we sacrifice our own experiences. This is the exact reason that we experience gigs through our phone screens and make ourselves look better for no other reason than to document it, to share it, to fulfil our unattainable social self. Snapchat and Instagram is to us, what a debutante ball was to the aristocrats: to be seen.
Rapier Blog 