The New One Percent Isn’t Wealth. It’s Visibility
The most powerful divide in America is no longer money. It is visibility.
Social media has created a new one percent, not defined by wealth or talent, but by attention. The people who are seen constantly. The people whose faces, bodies, and lives circulate endlessly across screens. Everyone else watches.
Social media is the only place where everyone is watching everyone who is watching everyone. It is a national peep show. Nobody wants to say that because it ruins the illusion that we are all doing something meaningful. But once you say it out loud, the whole machine starts to look ridiculous.
I never really used social media much. A few posts here and there. Some Facebook photos. Some scrolling. A few likes tossed around like spare change. I was barely there, and even I felt the pressure to pose. The second I noticed it, I knew something was off.
We call it connection. It is voyeurism. You stare at people. They stare at you. Everyone pretends their life is unfolding naturally while carefully arranging the lighting, the angles, and the timing.
And then there are influencers. The new one percent. Not bad people, but professional posers. Their job is to attract attention from strangers. That is the entire business model. No craftsmanship required. No economic dignity attached. Just optimized visibility.
Take Livvy Dunne. She is a good athlete and a serious student. But her millions of followers are not there because of a flawless routine. They are there because she is attractive. That is not an insult. That is the market. If she posted a picture of a plastic fork, it would still get attention.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are scrolling through a permanent highlight reel that makes ordinary life feel like a background role in someone else’s movie. No wonder people feel invisible. No wonder everyone feels behind. You open your phone and are instantly reminded that someone else appears happier, richer, better looking, or more admired.
The strangest part is that everyone wants to be the main character. Everyone wants followers. Everyone wants validation. Everyone wants to be noticed. But the math does not work. We cannot all be famous. The system requires most people to watch, not be watched.
And that is where real life quietly wins.
Anyone who has lived through addiction, illness, divorce, courtrooms, or medical systems knows the difference. After life actually hits you, watching adults stage selfies starts to feel like watching children argue over crayons.
Social media is not evil. It is just fake. It is a giant national loop of people watching people who want to be watched in return. Once you admit that, the spell weakens. You can use it without letting it define you.
And if you still want to chase likes, fine. Just stop pretending it is noble.
It is entertainment.
Play the game or don’t.
Just stop calling it community.