In the project “The Moon Girl or the dark side of social media where everybody seems to be happy,” I delve into the shadowy realm of social media, where everyone appears to paint smiles on their faces. The sight of a girl, her face refl ected in round mirro rs, serves as a metaphor for our virtual images on social platf orms. The initi al countenance reveals sadness, but as we drift further from the truth, it becomes increasingly content, perhaps even slightly smiling.

I aim to illustrate how we distort our essence, constructi ng an analogy between the illusions of social media and the dark side of the Moon. We choose apparent radiance, saturati ng ourselves with refl ected light, instead of confronti ng the genuine. As wise ly arti culated by Aleksander Radomski: “In this portrait, I build an analogy between the impercepti ble, shadowed side of the moon and the reality we hide and reject in social media. In return, we opt for apparent brilliance, which is only refl ected light, not the true one, our own.”

It’s unsett ling to ponder how oft en we lead our lives submerged in the expectati ons of others, forgetti ng our true selves. The world would be a more beauti ful place if we invested less in the aff airs of others and focused more on the path dictated by our o wn hearts. “The Moon Girl” is a contemplati on on how frequently we choose illusion over authenti city, blindly following the shimmering allure of social media.

Kamila J Gruss
Słupsk 01/10/2021