As each level of needs is achieved, we focus on the next level of needs. Maslow’s first level of needs does not relate to technology. Physiological needs like food, water, warmth, and sleep are the basic pillars of life. Without these, we cannot live. After psychiological, we have safety needs, the need to feel secure and safe. Online, we think nothing can hurt us. We’re in our own room, in our secure home talking to someone from another city or even another country. They can’t possibly hurt us, right? I thought so too when I was younger. I’d even give my real name and real age to strangers even though my parents always told me not to give out personal information. This brings up Maslow’s next level of needs: belongingness and love needs. Reality gives a lot of pressure to be a certain way that many seek friendships online. It’s easier to pretend be someone else while hiding behind a screen. When I was younger, I’d lie about my age. 18, I’d say. I’d curse, act knowledgeable, and pretend to be an adult to fit in with everyone else on the web. Once you have your necessities, a secure and safe space, and friends and/or family, the next need needed is esteem needs. Esteem needs includes a feeling of prestige and self-accomplishment. Most people are at this level. Everyone strives for the last level, self-actualization, though few people actually reach it. Their insecurities and doubts prevent them from that. I am usually a content with myself, but there have been days where I feel depressed and unhappy. I compare myself to others and feel lesser-than. I know that the image they project may not be real, that they only show the positive sides of themselves, but I can’t help but feel this way, which is why I haven’t reached self-actualization.
