Taylor Schilling is not about that selfie life.
In the June 2015 issue of ELLE Canada, the Orange Is the New Black star shares her feelings about the Internet, social media and life before her hit Netflix show, and she doesn't hold back. When asked whether or not she participates in the Internet "culture," Schilling reveals that she finds the whole concept "sad" because it makes people feel more alone.
"There is something so sad about going online and seeing almost everyone shouting 'Notice me, notice me!' Which is such a human desire—to be acknowledged," she says. "But me responding to that with some sort of 'You're noticed, you're seen' only perpetuates the loneliness. Because I'm not seeing you; I'm not noticing you."
While she might seem unapologetic for her staunch views about what the Internet has to offer, she doesn't mean to come off that way. Schilling, 30, believes that people deserve to be appreciated in their own way instead of through fictional validation.
"And whoever you are, you so deserve to be noticed and valued," she adds. "I feel lucky to have not grown up with the Internet because it forced me to get out, struggle and be so messy."
That messiness has allowed her to realize that she would prefer to live in the real world instead of the fake one social media platforms such as Instagram offer people. She refers to Kim Kardashian's profiles, which she believes are dishonest.
"It has almost become a defiant thing at this point because I do not believe this celebrity Kim Kardashian culture is what I signed up for," she tells the magazine. "I'd rather create something honest than try to create something for a social-media account."
In fact, she believes it takes real courage to be true online. "It takes a lot of bravery to be authentic and honest and to take that social mask off in order to connect with another human being. So much of what makes us who we are is smoothed away online. And what truly connects us is the wrinkles, not the smoothness."
She also thinks of herself as too sensitive to be able to handle the criticisms she might face if she shares. "Besides, my brain is just way too fragile for both," she admits. "I am susceptible to what people think; I think we all are. So it's just easier for me to not engage with it too much."