I'm A Hypocrite For Hating On Social Media

I've never been a huge social media person. Yes, I like taking some cute pictures to post on Instagram if I'm on vacation or got dressed up but I have never edited my body in a photo, had a photoshoot for an hour, or made my photographer get in extremely awkward positions for the right angle. I just like the idea of sharing your pictures with your friends and family.

Recently, I have been getting really tired of social media. It has turned into something so fake and toxic when it could be harmless. Going off to college, everyone wants their followers to think they are having the time of their life. In reality, first semester of college anywhere is an adjustment and for most people, they are not having the time of their life. I have friends who have transferred from their schools after posting tons of pictures and snapchat stories out smiling and having a great time. After they left people would ask say "It looked like you were having a great time" as if it is surprising that social media is misleading.

I don't think that social media is inherently bad or wrong I just think it has become such a warped version of our reality. It hurts kids' self esteems, it often disconnects people when it is supposed to be connecting them, and people use it for the wrong reasons. Part of the reason I don't like social media as much as I used to is because it has turned into a competition in a way. It is no longer apart sharing cool pictures or funny stories or updating relatives, it has become a bikini contest, a contest of who looks like they are having more fun, who goes on better vacations, and who gets the most likes and comments.

Social media can do so much good in our world today. It allows families to connect across the world, people to network and find jobs, important institutions to release updates in an efficient way, and so much more. But there is this microcosm that our generation has created throughout the social media platforms that does more harm than good. We have placed too much meaning on the things on a screen. We have disengaged with the world around us to engage with a twisted reality within our phones. We don't live in the moment anymore, we feel like we have to create a moment to be able to share it with people and that to me, is devastating to our happiness and presentness.

Now I say all of this and I realize that I am part of the problem too. I have almost every form of social media and I actively like, comment, and post on every one of them. I check each platform too many times a day and pass judgements on the people who post things. It is hard to detach from it because it has become such a big part of our lives and it's fun. I just think that we all need to take a step back from it all and realize what really matters in our lives: taking those beautiful vacations with our loved ones, not sharing pictures of it and making sure everyone knows you're happy. Once social media becomes more casual again we all can live in the moment now and share it with others later.