If I said that I wasn’t connected to the world with social media, I would be lying through my teeth. For a long time now, I have been a big (if not the biggest) culprit of accessing multiple outlets of applications and websites on a consistent basis – for what seems like all day, every day.
I have been delving deeper into the realization that perhaps I am too connected, and should relax a bit. Social media is a valuable resource, especially for my major and my future career. Too much of a good thing like social media, however, can easily warp realistic views.
Personally, the majority of people that I “follow” and pages that I have “liked” are giving me unrealistic expectations of reality, at least for myself. Account holders, like the Kardashians and Victoria’s Secret “angels,” are not aspirations that I am going to be able to achieve. I am able to accept the fact that it’s highly unlikely that I am ever going to be as rich or as flawless as I perceive some of these people's pictures to be.
Truthfully, outlets like Instagram and Twitter can easily be used as mere masks of what these people reallyare. (I find it hard to believe that some of the girls on my Instagram feed wake up without a single flaw in the morning without any filter -- just a thought.) Even so, I sometimes find it difficult to quit aspiring to be like them in one way or another.
Just because I see so many people, famous and not, who are seemingly perfect, happy, and “have it all,” none of that matters! I’m in this world to find my own happiness, and in order to do that, I need to make my own adventures. This is my story, and I’m the only author. I’m more than likely never going to be a supermodel, a Grammy-winning artist, or a billionaire. And that’s okay!
I’ve finally realized that I’m more than happy with the artist within me. The girl who can’t stop writing, constantly draws, loves to read, and finds it hard to not pick up a guitar when I see one. I’m quirky as hell, and I live for intellectual conversations. I’m honestly a mess, but I wouldn’t want to change who I am for all of the money or "likes" in the world.
Long story short, maybe a break from the screens isn’t necessarily a bad thing, even if it is just for a little bit. There’s an entire world out there for each and every one of us to explore, so why waste our time watching other people on their adventures from tiny electronic boxes?
In between the lines of all of my ranting and ongoing thoughts, I hope that you as a reader have been able to take at least one valuable tidbit out of this post. Yes, social media is a fun and interactive resource. Sure, there are plenty of adorable Vines to be watched and embarrassing Snapchats to tap through on any given day. But, too much of a good thing can begin to eat away at our minds, until we find ourselves trying to emulate what we see.
