Social media has taken our world by storm. It is everywhere. No one is safe. No one can avoid it. The pressure of living up to the expectations of these online platforms are damaging to our personal well-being and mental health. It is an important topic that, unfortunately, is not discussed enough.
On March 4, 2019, Korean artist Sunmi released a new single 누아르 (Noir). It came with little announcement, but it left a lasting impression.
After watching her music video (MV), it becomes clear that the whole thing is a satire of social media. Sunmi warns us of the dangers of being addicted to social media and the fame it promises. It temps us to fall deep into the online world that makes us pretend to be things we are not.
In a recent interview with Billboard, Sunmi introduced her new single by saying, “French word for black, ominous, gloomy. I wondered what the noir of the contemporary is. To get ‘likes’ and subscribers, some people take photos and videos in dangerous places. People who got killed from doing this is increasing by hundreds every year. I think that is the noir of our era.”
Candy Hearts
Throughout the music video Sunmi is constantly eating candy hearts. These symbol “likes”. The more she eats them, the more she wants. It’s like a drug she has become addicted to and can no longer live without. She will do anything for attention, despite the danger – as depicted through many of the scenarios in the MV.
Danger for Attention
The frequency of articles popping up in regards to people being seriously injured or killed trying to get the perfect shot has been alarming. No photo is ever worth your life.
Sunmi is seen doing more and more dangerous things in order to gain attention. She plays with a knife until she eventual ends up cutting off her finger. An extreme image, but she makes her point. We as a society keep putting ourselves in harms way. And for what? Attention?
Anxiety Hair Clips
In one scene in the MV, we see Sunmi wearing two hair clips that say “ANXIETY”. This image strikes me with multiple meanings.
The first being that social media is the cause of, or attributes to, many youths’ mental illnesses. There is so much pressure to prove yourself in the online world. It is like we forget that there is a physical word that matters so much more. When we don’t achieve the likes and follows online, we see ourselves as worthless. That we don’t matter.
The second meaning behind the hair clips is how some people, not all, but some, use mental illness as a way to market themselves on online platforms. They use a legitimate mental illness or they pretend they have one, in order to get more likes and gain more follows. It is unfortunate, but I have seen this happen. Instead of promoting healthy recovery, there are those who market mental illness as something cool or use it for attention purposes alone.
Fake, Fake, Fake
How many times do we see social media posts and think how lucky some people are, how perfect their lives are? We have to try and remember that people only post their “best of”s, spending hours picking the right shots and editing them to be perfect. We only see the end result, thinking, “Why can’t we live such wonderful and glamorous lives?” We don’t really know where or how these pictures are taken.
Throughout the MV Sunmi is shown faking her many adventures or posting misleading images. She is showing us the reality of want many of these Instagram stars do. Sunmi takes it to an extreme level such as faking a murder/suicide for views.
We can also see that by the end of the MV, she has completely lost touch with reality. When did this all become so important? Why are we told that online presence is so important? Above everything else?
One could analyze this MV all day and still come up with more to say. I was blown away by her creativity and message. I wish more people would talk about how social media isn’t the be-all and end-all. Sunmi is very effective in using satire to get across a message. We see this MV and see how ridiculous these actions are, yet they are too common in our world today.
Take a deep breath and step back. Social media can be fun, but sometimes it is better to just take a break. I find that when I am overwhelmed, taking a break from social media can do wonders. Remember to take care of yourself. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone.
Love,
Lauren
All other images screen caped from the Sunmi’s Noir MV
Dreams of Laur 
Leave a comment