SOCIAL MEDIA: I Kind've Hate It

When social media really started to become popular amongst my age group, which was around 2012, I was utterly obsessed with it. I was infatuated with the idea that I could interact with people, without the awkwardness and the anticipation. Even more so, I was infatuated with the idea that an individual can receive likes and comments on what they posted, and immediately have a huge ego boost. However, now I honestly despise social media.

When I say ‘now,’ I mean these past six months or so. I became obsessed with posting whatever would gain me the most followers or what would get me the most likes. I was obsessed with trying to portray my life in a way that I thought might appeal to other people as everyone does, because no one wants to hear about if you’re having a bad day on Instagram or Facebook. In fact, no one really wants to hear about anything on social media (unless you’re an activist and you attract the right audience, but of course you’ll be met with loads of hostility and haters).

However, nowadays more and more people are becoming attracted to the idea of being transparent on social media. For example, Instagram accounts like @ianconnersrevenge or @lulahyers66 express a more open portrayal of their lives, and naturally the Instagram community is eating it up. This is most likely because no one really cares (or at least not as many) that you had really aesthetically pleasing brunch in Soho or that you took a mirror selfie. Furthermore, this is also probably because everyone is over the hype of that sort of account. The account that is literally so matchy matchy, it's annoying. Or the account of the stereotypical girl or boy from a major city. Like we get it you’re a California girl who loves acai bowls and triangl swimwear, or that boy from the New York who loves clubbing and Yeezys.

But anyway back to why I hate social media--hate is a strong word. Maybe more like, dislike?

I’ve just realized in the middle of writing this article that, one cannot dislike social media or the actual purpose of it. The purpose is to allow people to express themselves and who they are and to communicate with others, and if we were to dislike social media that would be like disliking art or writing or love letters. I guess I should say, I dislike social media because of the power that it has begun to have over its users, especially to users that are still seeking their own identity and are sensitive to the standards that are set before them. Social media has a way of causing someone to validate their self-worth, based on likes or followers or comments. And through this validation and the dependence on others, this can cause anxiety or depression. Should I post this? What if it doesn’t get many likes? Is this the right filter? Does it go with my feed? Does this photo look like I’m trying to be Kylie? Does my stomach look bad?

The purpose of this article is to say: Do not place so much emphasis on social media. View it as a place for you to express who you are, to talk about something you’re passionate about, to connect with friends, to seek inspiration from other individuals, etc. But do not ever allow it to taint who you really are. Life is way too short to be worried about how many likes or comments you got, or if you lost a follower or if that boy you like doesn’t comment on it. And also, remember that other people on Instagram are struggling with these issues too, so if you post what you like and don’t delete it because it only got sixty likes, I guarantee you that someone else will start to realize, “Hey, I can post what I want, who cares about likes.”

P.s. Every once in a while, like every month or two, I’ll temporarily disable my Instagram account or logout out of facebook/snapchat. Even if it's just for a week or so, It’s extremely refreshing and gives you back the time that you otherwise would’ve lost. Click here to find out how you can temporarily disable your account too.