Scenario: *Snap* Looks at image, and immediately feels disgusted by it. Takes 20 more snapshots before settling for one. Up next, filters on filters on filters. Choose wisely or else...lastly, you absolutely MUST formulate the wittiest caption ever.

Nowadays, we are so concerned with our image. Not just our physical image but also our social media image. We get so hell-bent on capturing the right image...but once we are satisfied with that image, we enhance it even more with filters.

If you think about it, our lives are constantly filtered. We choose what we want others to see about ourselves. You could say that we have a tendency of twisting the truth a bit on social media. We are guilty of only portraying the ups in our lives and not so much the downs. Why? It's the happiness effect, of course. No one wants to see or read about hardships. We could be having the most horrific day, but you would never know on social media.

So, what am I getting at? What I'm saying is that the depiction of a person's life on social media is edited. You're not getting the whole story. You're getting a framed version of people's lives. This is all because....

We artificially construct who we are.

Of course, this construction may not be intentional, but it happens. Everyone wants to put their best face...I mean, foot, forward.

The expectations of society are what causes the ultimate need for filtering. Let's be honest, we all want to be accepted in society. We want to show the world the best version of us...even if we aren't necessarily at our best yet.

Our lives are not all that it's snapped to be. Don't forget that you're viewing an isolated perception of someone's life.

We only want you to see our good side. We may want you to see how extravagant our trip to New York City was and how we captured the true essence of the city that never sleeps. We won't tell you that we got stuck in a torrential downpour, got our hearts broken, stress ate a whole pizza by ourselves, and are having an acne attack...gross. No one wants to hear about that.

We want our lifestyle to consist of love, beauty, wealth, health, and more. No one wants to be perceived as unhealthy, ugly, poor, and alone. Everyone wants to be perceived well, that's natural. They want the reassurance that they are accepted by society.

Check out this video and see if you can relate.

I know I'm guilty of fixating on getting the perfect image to showcase my night. I, however, realize that I need to focus more on being in the moment and enjoying it. I don't need a certain amount of likes of reassurance to tell me that I had a great night. I know I had a blast because I was there. I know I had a blast because I was there.

Sometimes, it's just best not to keep everyone in the loop of what is going on in your life. Not saying that you can never share anything again on social media. Yet, I challenge you to ask yourself the next time you post, "What do I want to get out of this post?" This answer may be the deciding factor of you posting or not.

Always remember, there is nothing wrong with leaving a little mystery.

Don't feed into the filters.

Be you unapologetically and unedited.