With social media, we are now connected to each other at every hour of every day. We keep in touch with people we haven't seen in years thanks to a follow button and can reconnect with them in a short DM. Social media definitely has its perks, but it can also be extremely frustrating for the same reasons. Yes, it's great to see what everyone is doing all the time... but, is it really?
I used to post anything and everything on some form of social media, but I've toned it down over the past few months. I've learned that not everyone needs or wants to know my business, and I shouldn't want them to. Not everyone needs to know my business and social media has made it seem that they do. People will seem shocked when I tell them some good news and ask why they didn't see my post about it on Facebook. Yeah, that's because there isn't one. We can celebrate the happy moments in our lives without everyone else joining in with a "like." Keeping things more private and to ourselves/our REAL friends make special moments even more special.
With social media, I hate thinking that I have to be or look a certain way for a post. I used to get upset when a picture didn't get a certain number of likes, or when the person in particular that I wanted to like it wouldn't. This is silly, because what does a "like" prove, anyway? That someone acknowledged you at best. Just because someone likes your photo doesn't mean they care about you, value you, or even like you. It shouldn't determine how we view ourselves or other people.
What frustrates me the most about social media is that we only show what we want to show. People will say that someone has a perfect relationship, the coolest friends, or the best clothes, based on their Instagram posts. But surprise, that isn't their life. We all post pictures of our happy moments; parties, holidays, relationships, etc. We don't post about getting in fights with our loved ones or when a mental illness takes over. We get jealous of certain people for the best parts of their lives and compare it to our worst. We sit in our rooms after being ditched by our "friends" and get jealous of the girl out with hers.
We look at people's best moments and think that their lives must be perfect, and we get jealous. Jealousy isn't healthy, and it takes us away from noticing all that we do have. Social media and the idea of having it all together is what makes us insecure and wish our lives were different. Without social media, we wouldn't feel that we had to buy a certain swimsuit or that we had to take pictures with a certain angle to get noticed.
Of course, social media is awesome. It connects us, shows us new things, and can be lots of fun. But sometimes it's downsides can override these perks. The overuse of social media and the judgement it can bring makes it difficult to deal with at times. Once we learn that it's okay to have some mystery and to not take it all so seriously, it can be a lot more enjoyable.
