You just woke up. So, what do you do? Make your morning coffee? Go for a run? Eat a good breakfast? Chances are you don't do any of these things upon first waking up.
You'll grab your phone that is in reaching distance, if not already right next to you. You're going to scroll through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook—catching up on whatever you may have missed in the night hours. Next, you'll open up any missed Snapchats and text messages. You might even begin to scroll through Pinterest...
While this may seem like an "essential" part of your everyday routine, do you truly like social media as much as you have lead yourself to believe?
Don't get me wrong, social media can be a wonderful thing and I am just as guilty as the next person of doing all of the above. But keep in mind that everything is not as great as it may seem...
1. What you see isn't necessarily what you get
It's no secret that with some good editing and a few filters, any "bad" photo can be turned into an Instagram-worthy post. But, when is the last time you posted a photo with no touching up or no filter? Everyone has flaws or qualities they wish they could change, we shouldn't feel obligated to cover them up with a filter. Love your imperfections.
2. We only see the positive that people choose to share
Life isn't always rainbows and butterflies. People choose what they share with the outside world. Of course you aren't going to know about the class they struggled in or the job they may have lost.
3. People use social media as a way to bring others down
I can't begin to tell you how many times I've logged on to social media just to see someone bashing another person. Whether it be a subtweet or an indirect status—since when did this become a better form of communication than talking things out in person? People seem to forget how much words can hurt another.
4. The overwhelming need to prove that you had a good day/night
Social media has an unspoken competition of "whose life is better?" While yes, pictures are a great way of documenting memories, so is living in the moment. Not every good day/night needs a post to follow, chances are you'll enjoy the moments more if you actually live in them.
5. It's hard for us to go more than a few hours without our phones
"Hey, what's your Wifi password?" is one of the most important questions upon coming to someone's house for the first time. We don't know what to do if we can't check Snapchat or our texts are delayed in receiving/sending.
6. We set unrealistic expectations for ourselves
Scrolling through the Discover page on Instagram or seeing perfect posts on Facebook/Twitter causes us to long for a life of utopia. This isn't possible, even the best things in life have flaws.
7. Our confidence is in direct correlation with how many likes we receive
Your tweet only got one favorite? Your Instagram picture got under 100 likes? Your status only has 25 likes? Who cares. If you like what you post, that's all that matters. It should not ever matter how many people gave attention to your posts, at the end of the day it is a false reality. Your self worth is much more than any number could ever be.
It's time that our generation recognizes our worth outside of social media. While it is fun to share your accomplishments and happiness with those around you, do not forget that there is much more to life than that. A few years from now you will remember the moment, not the post. Live more for yourself and less with intentions of impressing others.
