I Have a Love/Hate Relationship with Social Media

This has been a topic that’s been heavy on my mind for a couple of months actually and I’m sure many of you can relate to it. As of late, I catch myself taking these breaks from social media where I don’t really engage much or I’ll cap the amount of time I spend on it. I’ve even had to filter out what type of content I was viewing because most of it is pretty trash lol.

When you think about it, we’re fed so much media constantly, every minute of everyday, that it’s impossible to keep up with the ever changing stories and posts. It can really consume you, change the way you perceive things in the world or even alter your interactions with people. It’s definitely done that with me so I decided to share my thoughts on it.

All That Glitters Isn’t Gold

One of the reasons I have this love/hate relationship with social media stems from the “perfect” lifestyle that it portrays. Now I know that anything people share on their social media is only what they choose to share — regardless of that it still take its toll on the self-esteem – if you allow it. I think it’s very important to keep a conscious mind while scrolling through any social media (especially Instagram) and remember to take everything you see with a grain of salt.

Social influencers, models, even celebs who post these “perfect” pictures showing a glimpse of their perceived lifestyle are most definitely putting a lot of work in the back end of it. The photos you see are premeditated and involve a lot of photo taking to find that one shot with the good lighting and great angle. Don’t forget about editing photos with filters and apps. Oh and then the caption —  some photos live for the caption. I’m not that creative with my captions, but I feel so much pressure to write a caption.

Now this isn’t to say I don’t do the same. I can attest to sharing my best photos to Instagram as well. But often I have to keep in mind that I actually don’t know what anyone is going through and that Instagram feeds do not display an accurate representation of someones lifestyle. So when I’m slouched on my couch, hair tied sweatpants chilling with no makeup on (I hope you know what song that lines from loll), and I see these perfect pictures, I try not to feel envious or jealous of what other people post because it’s all planned and they could be struggling in real life : / you never know…

24/7 News Feeds

The internet is always on. If you go without checking your social media timelines for a day, that can result in an extreme backlog of news or entertainment. As a blogger, I feel extreme pressure to share, post, create new content all the time. Like, feed you new content at least 1x a week (3x is ideal). I admit, I should be more consistent however…it’s also a lot of work to upkeep.

Sometime last year, I had major anxiety and restlessness because I had this feeling that I needed to deliver more content or else I was going to lose [Instagram] followers. This feeling of having to keep up with every other blogger out there and push out content was literally making me stress out! I really had to fall back and just go easy on myself because you can really find yourself caught up in it. What they say is true, it takes consistency to develop a long-term audience but I also really place importance on my peace of mind.

Have you ever had to check yourself on how often you spent on social media? I know I had to. I dare you to really take note of how much time you spend on social media and just reflect on that for me. What could you have been doing instead with that time?

Me vs. You

Social media has created what I call a ‘comparison war.’ Why are we constantly comparing ourselves to either our peers, friends, or celebrities? We’re simply viewing someone else’s life through their pictures but why does this invoke a feeling of inadequacy? I find myself looking at what the other person has (e.g., their photos, followers, or likes) and feeling unworthy because I’m not on the same level or anywhere near that. When did it become like that? Why is that so important to us now? I really feel bad for the generation coming up because if I feel the way I do and I’m an adult, I can just imagine how much pressure kids have to conform.

I am constantly reminding myself that everyone’s journey in life is unique. No two people are the same. Sure they may have similar journey, but we’re all different at the end of the day. If I’m not where someone else is at that’s ok because either it’s not my time yet or God has different plans in mind for me. But it takes awareness to detach  because you can’t focus on your own journey when you’re too busy watching the next person. Stay in your lane, admire what people do from afar and just keep on doing you! Easier said than done, I know, but like I said it’s a constant reminder.

What’s Private Anymore?

I remember the days before Facebook (wow that made me sound old) where whenever I took pictures on my lil camera flip phone, they were getting uploaded to my computer so I can make graphics from them or use it as my new display picture on MSN messenger. They weren’t taken with the intention of sharing it online. Come to think of it, when Facebook rolled around and people started to do that I was a little hesitant. I thought, why should I take these personal pictures and put them online? Who wants to see pictures of what I did today? Who cares enough to? How times have changed…

Back then the thought of taking pictures of my meals would be so far-fetched — fast-forward to the present day where I now have an Instagram account solely used as my food journal. The point I’m getting at is, I find it interesting how we take photos (or videos) with the intent of sharing it with the world. Even what I’m doing now is surreal. Writing out my thoughts and posting it on the internet lol. Nowadays taking photos or going to events to take photos has become this “sport” in a sense. Take for example this imagined scenario:

->Person: “Hey take this picture of me by the water. I have the perfect caption for it.”

Or,

->Person: “I’m going to get so many likes for this pic you took.”

Now, I’m not saying I’m not guilty of doing this, but I find that our need to share what was once saved for ourselves or to be shared with close friends or family has now changed into this “sport.” What will get you the most likes? What will get you more followers? What is a really witty caption to go with that photo? I just find it funny sometimes. Once again, I do this too (and as a blogger, it’s apart of my job lol) but it’s interesting to critically think about.

Like saying goes, “Pictures or it didn’t happen.”

Social Media Is the Plug

So what do I love about social media? I love how the internet can connect you to anyone worldwide instantaneously. That’s amazing. I love how people have been discovered off of Youtube, or Instagram and are now public figures, social influencers. I love how anyone who has the passion can create a business or build a brand and market themselves using social media platforms. I love how you can leverage your skills or talent and share it with a world and make a living from it. I love the networking and connections you can make through social media (use the DM on Instagram to network! It’s the best thing ever). Those would be the pros in my opinion.

In the beginning of this blog, I really wanted to take time off social media, but with launching my blog I knew I was going to use social media as a way to get more readers. I was stuck in a bind of blocking out all of this distraction but still doing what I want to do. In the end I ended up being on social media even more than I had hoped, and I’m still trying to find the balance with this.

I feel like I need a retreat lol to be in isolation of my phone and anything pertaining to the internet and just experience life as it’s meant to be. I need to unplug sometimes.

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I have a lot of thoughts on social media, would you say you agree or disagree with some of my points? What are your reasons for using social media? Let me know by commenting below! Xo