Raise your hand if you have been personally victimized by Instagram.

Yes, Instagram is fun and can sometimes be quite the confidence booster. Watching your likes rack up and grinning ear-to-ear with each comment you receive. Comments like --

"DAMN GIRL "

"CAN I BE YOU?"

"HONESTLY, GORG."

Are these the comments that are making us feel all warm and tingly inside? Is this what we live for? Socializing and making the best out of our time has turned into taking photos at every opportunity, in chances that one will be *isnta-worthy.* And hey, don't think that I am not 100% guilty of committing these crimes. I have had my moments where I literally have to force my friends to take photos with me, in hopes that I can post a great Instagram that will give me the confidence I need in order to go out for the night.

How sad is that?

I need a social media app to give me the confidence to go out at night. I need someone to tell me that the hand-picked, absolute best photo I had taken out of 40 photos is "gorgeous." Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments. Without you, my friends would hate me and so would I.

This needs to be changed.

The world does not revolve around how many followers you have compared to how many you follow back. The world does not revolve around who unfollowed you and who didn't like your photo. It's time to take a step back from social media, but Instagram in particular. You do not need Instagram to prove to your friends and family that you are enjoying your life. You know what will make people believe that you are happy?

True happiness.

If you are truly happy, your happiness will radiate to everyone around you. Instead of people talking about how perf you looked in your recent Instagram, people will be talking about how sincerely happy you have been and that is the best compliment of them all.

By taking a step back from Instagram you will gain more confidence by not belittling yourself towards other girls. The discover page on Instagram is a wonderful way to do exactly as it states, discover photos of girls who belong to people that you have never heard of. You will find yourself scrolling through their entire Instagram feed for possibly hours, wishing you were them and that you had their life. Does anyone realize how pointless this is? No one's life is perfect! We all know this, yet continue to wish we lived the lives of people we don't even know!

I mean, does it give you satisfaction thinking that maybe, just possibly, someone is looking through your Instagram feed right now and thinking, "Damn, I wish I was her. I wish I had her life."

I know that it seems nearly impossible to alter your Instagramming ways. So, in that case, I challenge you to Instagram only the truth. I challenge you to not put up a photo of you looking like you had a blast when, in sincerity, you know very well that you were miserable all night. Post your true self, someone you will be proud of no matter what. Someone you want to look back on in 20 years and think, "Yup. That was me, the real me, and i am damn proud.