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Siren Archives: A Look Into Social Media and It’s Influence on Personal Identity Through Emma Jane Unsworth’s “Adults”
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After last week’s book, I wanted to look into the similar themes that could be found in a fiction read. It’s an opportunity to look from two different perspectives - both literal and descriptive - that can really enhance our understanding overall. Adults by Emma Jane Unsworth couldn’t have been a more fitting book to see relationships through the perspective of the 21st century. In addition, this book is completely hilarious.
Social media has impacted us on quite a deep level when we look into it. Since the concept of the internet and social media is fairly new, there is little understanding yet of how it how much it psychologically demands over time. However, we’re slowly seeing the results of how our technology shifts our overall makeup and social dynamics. Jenny, our protagonist, experiences these challenges herself making this a story that gives readers a chance to tap into their empathy.
In Jenny’s world, social media fuels the dynamics of several of her relationships. A great deal of her life is lived online, really pointing to the addiction that social media can have over us. Access to all the information that we normally wouldn’t, such as how our exes are doing, continually tempt Jenny back to her screen. It not only complicates her relationships in real life, but it affects her behavior and thought process. It suggests overall, that ultimately too much information has it’s psychological consequences.
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In this email we’ll cover:
What’s New
Reflections
Insights
Closing Remarks
“Mostly though, I just want to not care what every single person thinks of me all the time. And I want to not have so many people’s opinions whirring around my brain and I want to share my life with someone and not get bored. And I’m so scared that isn’t possible because that is a lot of boxes to empty and sort.” - Emma Jane Unsworth, Adults
What’s New?
Book of the Week:
Adults by Emma Jane Unsworth
Personal Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre:
Comedy
Synopsis:
Jenny is a 35 year old woman learning to navigate her relationships, and often through the contemporary lens of social media. Her adult responsibilities are in desperate need for her attention, but she’s avoiding her obligations to rather spend time snooping on people’s posts or watching women she admires on the internet. Her relationships are tense for much of Jenny’s experience, and although she’s wanting to have a great life, her focus seems to often be redirected to other places and people.
Why We Love It:
Adults covers several intricate themes, including love, betrayal and self-image. Although these themes are complex all on their own, Unsworth manages to integrate the psychological challenges that come with social media within modern relationship territory. The result of that is having so many stimulating aspects to this book that make it all the more exciting as a read. Unsworth does such a fantastic job of integrating the detailed aspects of modern adult life, that at times the honesty made me cringe.
The detailed descriptions, and perhaps the thoughts that we would keep to ourselves, are all written out for our consumption. For example, Jenny questions several times as to whether or not her online presence is acceptable enough; she constantly wonders if enough of her followers will like and comment her post. Something I’m sure many people can relate to. Although discussing social media impact is one thing, it is another to view it through the eyes of another.
Jenny’s character forces readers to acknowledge the stress and perhaps insignificance of our life online. However, I feel that it’s done in an easily digestible way by incorporating so much humor. I’ve laughed countlessly while reading this book. Although it deals with several personal moments in Jenny’s life, there is a good balance between humor and the more serious aspects to the story. The playful wording often alleviates the darker circumstances.
Key Message:
Adults as well as The Age of Magical Overthinking has made me reconsider the importance of my life online. Although neither explicitly portrays social media in a negative light, they both depict the psychological consequences of placing so much importance on it. Sometimes it’s helpful to take a moment to reflect rather than mindlessly engage in an activity, especially one that’s become so embedded in our normality. Without consideration of the effects, we may find that actually it’s a form of distraction that prevents us from moving forward.
Adults is a perfect example of a modern woman who keeps herself occupied with the portrayal of others. Social media, as we come to realise, is ultimately a distraction that keeps her from dealing with her grief. As her offline life demands more of her attention, Jenny realises that the best way to move forward is to actively engage with it. The real relief she’s looking for, is in the act of confronting her reality and the emotions that come with it.
She learns over time to manage her life better, and to prevent comparison from finding the joy in her life. Perhaps this is a way of suggesting to readers that each one of us already have full lives when we actively engage with it. It probably won’t look exactly like another person’s, but it’s possible that it’s not meant to be the same. Although her life isn’t perfect and she hasn’t met all her goals and desires, that doesn’t mean it’s not possible for the future. However, it would require her attention and effort to realise.
Reflections
Quote of the Week:
“So let me get this straight,” she says, “You’re upset because someone you don’t know might not like a version of you that doesn’t really exist.” - Emma Jane Unsworth, Adults
Reflection Questions:
How does the main character’s journey resonate with your own life experiences?
What decisions did the character make that you found helped her regain a sense of her reality? Were they at all empowering or thought-provoking?
What insights did these last two books give you into your own online activity?
Are there aspects of your engagement that you would like to shift as a result?
Material Inspired Tips:
Embrace imperfections in both yourself and your digital presence.
Take breaks from being online to reconnect with reality.
Prioritize offline experiences that bring you genuine joy.
Book Reviews:
Book2books gave a compelling review on the book right here!
Insights
Author Spotlight:
Emma Jane Unsworth
Background:
Emma Jane Unsworth is a British author with several book titles to her name. Her book “Adults” has been one of the most entertaining reads that I’ve come across this year, while still shining a light on contemporary societal issues. I find that she not only knows how to target the heart of the character’s journey but does it in such an entertaining way, that I couldn’t take my eyes off the page.
Other Works:
Hungry, The Stars and Everything (2011)
Animals (2014)
After The Storm: Post Natal Depression and the Utter Weirdness of New Motherhood (2021)
Upcoming Releases:
Slags (Expected 2025)
Beyond the Book:
Closing Remarks
There’s a difference between being inspired to do more versus comparing your life to someone else’s. Even though a picture says a thousand words, more often than not we’re not seeing the full context of that post. There is no knowing what a person had to go through to get to where they are, or if that portrayal is even accurate. So it’s worth it to note that social media only showcases the parts of ourselves that we’re willing to post. Often that means a highlighted reel of the more positive parts of our lives.
It’s easy to compare our day-to-day to someone else’s highlighted moment. But when we appreciate what we have, we start to realise all that we have so much to be thankful for. Despite it perhaps not looking like the lives of our peers or the people we admire, that shouldn’t prevent us from being present with what we have. It’s easy to forget that the grass is greener where we water it. Ultimately, if we want to have a life that looks a certain way, then it’ll require our participation. However, often enough our participation can remove that comparison by us just learning to enjoy the moment.
Feeling inspired by feed is a really positive attribute of social media. It can give us insights into what’s possible and how our lives could look if we’re willing to put in the effort. However, we have a responsibility to then look at our feed with the mindset of abundance. We can curate our feeds to be a great source of inspiration if we want it to, but that also then requires us to be mindful not to lean into the dangerous territory of comparison. The difference, I find, is in mindset; we have to come from a positive place to view the world positively.
Until Next Time!
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Keep living life on your terms.
Warm regards,
June Tara
Creator of Spark Siren
This is amazing! I can’t wait to read the book. Thank you!