Social media has been harshly criticized for disconnecting us from the real world, but social media often acts as a strong motivator for adventures, new victories, and success. Instagram, in particular, is an extremely powerful tool in encouraging millennials to stop watching Netflix and getting out of their bed to perhaps have brunch with their friends, even if it's just for a picture. It helps people share experiences and inspire others to go out seek their own adventures.
I capture shots of interesting books, places, lines, etc. I would have never known about that cute coffee shop where they draw monkeys on your cappuccino if it were not for Instagram. #Amen because their cappuccinos are amazing. Social media is a fantastic motivator, but not for everyone!
#TBT to the cutest, best cappuccino ever! #coffeelover
We all have that friend that posts throwback Thursday (#TBT) and flashback Friday (#FBF) pictures five times a week to make it even more pathetic. I'm glad you know alliteration. These are the people for whom social media is a death trap. Instead, they roost in their bed and post images where they look attractive, trying to garner attention while too lazy to go and do something for it. It's sort of, "Hey, look, I looked super hot on August 7, 2014." Um, OK. #IDC
If you're not Kim Kardashian, there is no need for pictures reminding anyone of your past because no one cares. But of course, everyone cares about KimK.
#TBT to when contouring wasn't a thing yet. OMG, is that Kylie?
We are the digital age where only what happens in the last 24 hours—OK, maybe 48 hours—matters. That's the entire point of Snapchat. News, even if it's just the cute dress you wore yesterday, is not effective if it happened two years ago. Would you care that two terrorists killed 11 Charlie Hebdo employees in January 2015 if you found out about it today? Chances are that you might empathize with Paris for an hour at most and forget soon after. Everything posted online is short-lived.
Quite frankly, it's pitiful to know that instead of enjoying the world around you, you're living through old memories. Maybe you deserve that?
Now, not to be a complete cynic, there are acceptable "throwback" situations. Those involving family, birthdays, victories, transformation, etc. are actually admirable. There is a thin line between "seeking attention," "look at my stilettos," and "this day last year I won the Olympics." Actually, no there is not—there are achievement and memories worth of a "like" and others simply not.
Next time you decide to remind everyone of something, think first—does anyone really care? And if you're the only one that cares, go ahead and post that photo, and let everyone know that you have been up to nothing.