We live in a generation that shares everything with everyone. Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook allow us to show our friends every time we are having fun. This is a good thing right? We want our friends to know what's going on in our lives! But something else happens when you're the one viewing and not posting. Seeing what everyone else is doing might make it seem like your life is completely boring in comparison. But what is social media not showing us?
Social media can make it feel like everyone's lives are better than yours.
When you check your Facebook on Sunday morning and see photos upon photos of all of your friends at a formal that you weren't invited to, you suddenly start to feel like your weekend was inadequate. When you look at your buddies' Snapchat stories and see that they're all out drinking while you're watching Netflix in your bed, you start to worry that you're an antisocial hermit. You read an article titled "30 Things You Have to Do Before You Graduate" and realize you've only done two of them, so panic sets in that you're not living life to the fullest. Suddenly, you find yourself reevaluating your whole life, thinking that you're doing something wrong and not getting out enough or making enough friends.
There's something that these pictures aren't telling you.
It's really easy to make your life look more exciting than it actually is. Think about it, if they spent the entire party taking group photos, could it really have been that fun of a party? Besides, no one is going to post about how they spent the last two hours of the night throwing up in the bathroom sink. Nobody Instagrams their hangover the next day. Not to mention that you only see the times that they go out, and not the numerous nights they spend in, watching Netflix just like you.
And those articles about everything you just HAVE to do? They're unrealistic. They probably involve things like traveling the world and going to tons of music festivals, but very few people can actually afford to do these things. Real people have budgets and jobs and school that keep them from doing all 30 of those things, and that's okay! Set your own goals and lists of what you want to do with your life; don't let the internet decide that for you.
Stop comparing yourself to everyone else.
In the end, very few people are actually as exciting or glamorous as their social media accounts make them look. The same people you're envying probably spend a decent amount of time stalking your accounts and wishing they had friendships like yours. Try not to get so caught up in comparing your life to all of your friends'. Put the phone down, close the computer, and go make your own memories. Why do we feel the need to show everyone else that we're having a great time? It should be enough to just enjoy it for yourself.
