A good friend of mine once said:
“Make yourself happy, because yous a real n***a.”
Although that’s pretty offensive it’s the truth. If you don’t have you, then no one else can.
As a millennial, I grew up at a time where Facebook, Myspace, Snapchat, Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter (and whatever else you cool kids enjoy) were reaching their peaks. Who am I kidding? They were exploding like your belt buckle after a thanksgiving feast Through the years I have seen many people's self-image plummet due to these websites. Often they seek validation through the number of followers they have, or by how many likes they get on a photo. It's definitely an easy trap to fall into. When lots of people follow you or like your photo then you tend to feel good; You might feel like you have a bunch of friends or people who understand/relate (to) you. I have certainly fallen prey to the validation cycle of social media.
Am I bashing social media? No. Obviously not because I am sharing this through many forms of social media LOL. Social media has become an integral part of most people's lives. Has it helped the world? Sure, now I don't have to call my crazy aunt anymore and can just share a photo or upload a status and she knows what's happening in my life. It has helped people find their lost pets (bless, because pets are more precious than anything on social media. amirite?), helped businesses launch, and created new platforms for expression. Social media took the world by storm and is still taking making waves. Just don't let the waves drown you.
YOU ARE WORTH MORE THAN THE NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS YOU HAVE.
YOU ARE WORTH MORE THAN THE NUMBER OF INSTAGRAM LIKES YOU RECIEVE.
YOU ARE WORTH MORE THAN THE UNREPLIED TO SNAPCHATS.
YOU ARE WORTH MORE THAN THE RETWEETS YOU GET.
Repeat after me: "I (insert name here) am worth more than my social media accounts". One more time for the homies in the back. "I (whatever name I just said) am worth more than my social media accounts".
Continue to share those hot selfies, haircut, photos, and cute pupper photos but please don't rely on the number of likes to validate you.
Do not forget to love yourself.
Much love,
a person who once needed validation from likes
