Shashank Vyas calls out those who use social media to seek validation

The actor shared a post on how social media has become “a mental prison”; adds that he might use it but isn’t dependent on it

Recently, Shashank Vyas took to social media to a share post on how social media has become “a mental prison” since it’s all about “people pleasing” and attaining “perfectionism”. Talking about it, he says, “I’ve heard from many people that social media is very important in today’s times for a public figure. But is it a need? I can definitely live without that. I can still be an actor without the presence of social media platforms.”

‘Birthdays have become all about posting pictures’

He feels that social media platforms have been reduced to a tool to seek attention and validation. “Maybe we aren’t entirely happy and when we get appreciatory comments and likes on our pictures, we feel that our life is complete. All of us have our own share of sorrows. But we choose to present only the happy things,” Vyas says, stressing on the importance of drawing a line between realism and artifice.

Often actors get zeroed down for a film depending on their follower count on their social media accounts. Sharing his opinion, the Balika Vadhu actor says, “Naseer (Naseeruddin Shah) sir has lesser followers than I do. Is that a parameter to fathom his talent or success? We know that followers can be bought. Your followers cannot ever determine how good an artiste you are.”

And for artistes, particularly, he believes that it’s important to step out from the world of social media: “For artistes, observation is a major part of their profession. When you go out, meet people and observe the way they speak or walk, a whole world opens up.”

The focus should be on protecting interpersonal relationships and one’s sanity. “We stopped calling our friends and loved ones because we get an update about them through social media. Birthdays have become all about posting pictures. Human beings are social animals. We need to interact with others. I use social media but I’m not dependent on it,” he ends.