I have very mixed feelings about social media.
On one hand, I think it's a wonderful tool for connecting with people from all over, sharing ideas, and learning about other cultures. Since signing up for my first social media account in 8th grade (No, it wasn't MySpace. It was Facebook. I'm young. I get it), I have learned so much about the world and the people in it. I could gain access with just a few clicks.
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On the other hand, I often see it used as a way to force a false narrative down other peoples' throats. You get to be completely selective with what appears on your various pages and timelines, thus controlling the version of your life other people see. This can make it impossible to tell when someone is being authentic, and when someone is only revealing the parts of themselves they want shown.
I must admit, I am guilty of that. There have been times in my life in which I would take photos with people and post them, only to show my friends and followers how "cool" and "popular" I was. I've experienced moments of pure natural beauty ruined by my need to take a picture so I could show everyone how "deep" and "reflective" I was. Slap an unrelated song lyric on it as the caption, and you're destined for double (maybe triple!) digit "likes".
But there were times when I didn't get those "likes". What did it mean? Was there no one online right then? Were they sick of me, and my stupid life? Was I not interesting enough anymore?
Overthinking is an art form in which I excel (not to brag), and social media goes hand-and-hand with it. I'd think things like, "Do people not want me to post about politics anymore? I haven't been getting as many 'likes' on those posts" and "Maybe I should post a funny, quirky status to let people know I'm still goofy ole me."
It begins to get exhausting if you let it.
So, for the last few months, I've been on hiatus. I like to say the word "hiatus" because it makes me feel more official when, in reality, I just haven't been posting as much. I've decided to stop measuring my worth by the amount of "likes" I get on a picture of a tree. I've decided to start letting beautiful moments come and go, without feeling the need to photograph them. I don't have anything to prove to anyone.
I think we all can get a little insecure sometimes, and I think social media can be a huge contributor to that. It's been nice for me to take a little break, and realize that I'm not living my moments for other people. I'm living them for me.
