You're seeing it everywhere. Social media and its role on society is a hot topic—once again. During this past week or so, an Instagram self-made model and YouTube star made it headline-worthy material. Essena O'Neill claimed that she's sick of the portrayed glamorous lifestyle and she said that social media is a platform for money-hungry, fake, and depressed people. On her Instagram page, she re-captioned all her Insta pics to show what it was really like when she was shooting it. On her YouTube channel, she came out with a 17-minute long video about why she is choosing this new anti–social media movement. Her social media friends were also not happy about her sudden outlash. They said that it’s all a public stunt and that it’s a hoax. The whole situation sounded like a classic scene from Mean Girls (it was like real life high school drama without the need to be there). But I'm not here to narrate this drama fest. I'm here to write about what I think we can learn and take away from this. And also why social media is not really the bad guy here.
But for the most part, yes I do agree with Essena. Social media does present this sort of filtered, perfect, and unattainable lifestyle, especially for young girls. It does make some people feel as if they should be different looking or that they need to be doing something else with their life. But it’s 2015 and all we can do is be smart with how we’re using social media because, let’s be honest, it's not going away. The key here is balance.
Try these out to improve your interaction with social media.
1. Start posting positive messages and reading positive messages
You become what you think about most. This means that the neuron connections to certain thoughts and actions become stronger and stronger every time you choose to utilize them. So that means that by following inspirational, positive, and motivating people you are more likely to be wired to think more happy thoughts.
2. Become a writer for a blog
By blogging or just writing inspirational posts, you get to share your ideas with basically the world and really feel connected with a community. Social media allows your voice to be heard on a huge platform.
3. Go on a social media detox
Along with your lemon juice detox, we all need a social media detox. You can do this once or twice a week during the day for a minimum of 4 hours OR just keep away from your cell an hour before bed and an hour after you have woken up. And try staying away from anything that gives you a false look of reality and unrealistic expectations.
4. Connect with old friends and family that live far away
It’s easier than ever to stay connected with your loved ones. Nothing will beat face to face conversations but a quick Snapchat to your best friend that lives two hours away could easily make their day a little better.
5. Learn a new skill
You can learn to do anything that you want to do, and for FREE online. I consider Pinterest a part of social media, and without that site, I would be incompetent when it comes to the latest trends or how to use home décor the right way. Without YouTube, I wouldn’t have passed chemistry. Or human anatomy. Or biology. Or life.
6. Start a movement
You don’t have to rally a bunch of people and go picket a street for hours. Now you can support a movement by retweeting or posting about it. The hard part is just picking the ones that you want to fully support!
7. Turn it into a businessNow more than ever, people are finding that they could build careers online. Whether it’s by making videos, becoming bloggers, doing tutorials, or marketing their products, many people are earning steady income. What’s better than having freedom with your time and getting to call any coffee shop your office?! Yeah, not much.
I hope that by following this list or at least using some of these will help guide you into a happier relationship with social media. We truly have all the power when it comes to social media. We are the authors and the publishers and there's no one that can tell us no. Just be sure to share with integrity, love, and honesty. Social media isn’t going anywhere, so it’s time to get real and start using this form of communication to our full advantage.
