Social media has become such an ingrained part of our everyday lives. I don't know anyone who goes a day without checking their phone for new updates on all their social media apps. It can even be said that we have become dependent on social media. Don't get me wrong, social media can be a positive aspect of your life. The only problem is social media isn't structured to be a space that encourages authenticity.
In a world where the amount of likes, views, and followers we have determines our worth, it easy to let our insecurities run our lives.
The truth is that people don't structure their posts around what is meaningful to them. Instead, they post what they think will generate the most response.
It's easy to get upset when everyone has a seemingly perfect life on social media. Everyone seems to have amazing friends, do incredible things and constantly be happy. Scrolling through hundreds of posts like this can easily make you feel inadequate, especially if what you post doesn't get as many likes or comments. You may feel like you're missing out — like your life isn't as great as someone else's life.
Social media is all about "marketing" your life.
Everyone is trying to create the illusion of being perfect. Because of this, people are only going to post their BEST moments.
It took me a long time to finally realize that no one's life is perfect. Honestly, everyone is dealing with something behind closed doors. Sometimes people who seem to be the happiest and most confident on social media are actually the most insecure and unhappy people in real life. Everyone has a story, but no one posts about the realities of their life because social media has us all convinced that being authentic isn't important.
It's time to change the way we look at social media. We need to go back to the mentality of what social media was originally created for — sharing updates and staying in contact with friends and loved ones. Before being Instagram famous was even a thing and before the number of followers determined our worth, social media wasn't a toxic place.
The way we view social media isn't going to change overnight. But, you can choose how you use social media and how you react to posts that make you question yourself. The next time you see someone post something on social media that makes your life feel less meaningful, remember that you don't know this person's full story.
So post what you want because the number of likes and comments don't matter. When you look back later in life, you're going to remember the experiences you had instead of the number of likes you received.
