The new Netflix reality competition series, The Circle, manages to entertain while highlighting the deception of appearances on social media at the same time. The goal of the show is for the contestants to be perceived as the most likable and real on a fake social media platform in order to avoid being “blocked”, or eliminated. However, with multiple players using photos of others in their profiles, nothing is as it seems. 

With $100,000 at stake, contestants can not see or hear each other as they text and browse the accounts of their opponents on The Circle’s social media platform. Exclusively based on information provided from the screen, they must rank each other, and the highest-ranked players choose someone to block.

The twists are the catfish: in the original 6-person cast, it is Seaburn (pretending to be his girlfriend, Rebecca) and Karen (going by her middle name, Mercedeze, and using photos of a stranger). They both use photos of pretty girls because they thought it would make them more popular on The Circle’s social media platform. When a catfish was eliminated, however, the truth was revealed to the rest of the cast in a short video, where the eliminated left them with the sage advice to never judge a book by its cover.

Though the plot sounds superficial, it is the superficial nature of the concept that brings to the surface important questions about the role of social media today. It is undeniably a huge part of many young adults’ lives, and Oakton High School students are no exception. It is nothing new that platforms such as Instagram are a place where people flaunt the best versions of themselves and filter their lives. However, the sad truth this show brings to light is that people sometimes feel the need to be someone completely different to be well-liked. But in reality, their fellow contestants would have liked them all along if they had been themselves. If there is anything to take away from The Circle, it is that the best a person can be, on and off of social media, is themselves.

*Note: this show is rated MA, recommended only for mature audiences. The Oakton Outlook is not endorsing this show for students to watch, just reflecting on its impact.