Quick, close your eyes. Now try and picture when texting came about (Flip phones galore!) and to get one letter typed, you had to type a button three times. These days, we can talk into our phones and it does the typing for us. Remember before Instagram and Facebook, there was snail mail that we'd wait eagerly for at the mailbox, just to see if something came with our name on it. Today, we wait for a different mailbox, not one that brings letters but one that brings "likes" and comments. At least when we received letters from family or friends in the mail, we could save them in boxes to look at years later. What can one do with a like? Why the urge to get such praise on yet another picture of ourselves?
I logged onto my social media accounts this week as I do a couple times a day but this time, I realized what kinds of things people were really posting. Girls showing off their cleavage (Don't try and act like you were showing off your necklace), guys showing off their shirtless bodies, and both genders constantly posting about their drinking habits. The fact is, the majority of the posts people have on their social media account aren't real. Yes, that is them and they do seem to have the perfect look along with the life to go with it. But deep down, we know it's not true. Social media lets people have free reign as to how people see them, and they can be whoever they choose. How many times do we post something that shows us not looking our best or a status about how horrible life is that particular day?
The answer: Rarely. I go onto social media to see what my friends and former classmates are up to but what I find is wrenching to my self-esteem and many others, too. The truth being that if someone doesn't get a certain amount of likes in so many minutes, they delete their photo or post. Who wants to log on everyday and see the same pictures of boobs and butts throughout their timeline? I personally would rather have a real life update about how my cousins are doing in school or how everyone's birthdays went, instead of the persona that so many give off when it comes to social media. The only thing those likes do are either tear you down if you don't get enough or bring you up...but not for long. When was the last time you truly enjoyed a moment without having to post evidence of it online? Can anyone remember the last dinner you had with friends or family where none of you had your phones out for at least 10 minutes?
Instead of showing off, show up. Try being in the current moment instead of attempting to capture a fake one. There was life before social media, in the days of flip phones and pen pals. I promise you that life can be just as good with a little break for a dose of reality.
Maybe, just maybe, you'll find the real you behind those unrealistic posts. Don't worry, you can still get a like...it's called a compliment.
