Social Media Posts Are Not Your Reality
Instagram and real life can be drastically different at times — be true to yourself without the need to impress others.
Social media is oftentimes seen as a form of communication between friends and family members, where you can post, tag, like, and comment on your own account alongside other people's accounts as well. It enables you to update your friends on your latest trip out of the country or the new restaurant you just tried. Social media also serves as an opportunity to meet and connect with users from all over the world. In this way, social media is a positive platform that constantly evolves as technology changes with new updates. On the other hand, social media can consist of many downsides as well.
Don't get me wrong — I love checking Instagram and scrolling through Twitter as much as the next teenager. However, as digital apps such as the aforementioned social media platforms increase in popularity, this world begins to lose touch with reality and personal communication with one another.
We begin to view social media as a priority and begin to post about the "peak" events in our lives: a night out on the town with friends, a fun sleepover, or a concert with a group of your classmates from school. Though we all love to post about these moments, we have also experienced the times where you weren't invited to dinner with your friends or no one told you there was a concert that weekend. You might feel hurt or excluded, or you might even feel uncool for not having any plans on a night where it seems like everyone is out and about. This article is meant to tell you differently.
Social media is simply a highlight reel. There is not one person who lives the exact life you see in their pictures each day.
We all do it. Whenever something exciting happens in our lives, we can't help but snap a photo to keep for our own memories and to let the world know about it, too. I am 100% guilty of posting multiple pictures after a weekend at a music festival or a trip to Chicago with my friends because I'm showing off the great time I had for a few days. However, that is not my life on a day-to-day basis. Most days consist of a routine that includes waking up, eating, and going to work or to school or whatever it may be for you. So, when there's an event that seems out of the ordinary, we can't help but post about it!
The reason I decided to write about this topic is that I have been on the other side of the highlight reel, and I continue to experience that feeling. We all experience it at one time or another. When I see a photo of some friends at dinner together, or if I see a Snapchat story of some party, I immediately feel bad for being in my position of laying in bed with ice cream beside me and Netflix playing in the background. After contemplating, I knew I had no reason to feel bad for staying in one night. The only person I needed to "impress" was myself. Not my social media followers.
Every day does not have to be an incredible, post-worthy day.
Once I came to this realization, I sat back in bed and ate my ice cream with a content feeling. We, humans, face enough stress in our lives, and worrying about whether or not your daily routines are "Instagrammable" should not be remotely close to a stressor. You, the reader, deserve to live for yourself. Do what makes you happy and do not worry about the number of likes you're getting or not getting. Living in the present moment is so much sweeter than taking photos as a distraction.
