Ever reflect back to the days when there was no Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pintrest and so on? I’ll let you have a moment to ponder on that… Life was just so simple. You were not anxious to record every moment of your daily activities, or making sure you had the right lightening for a picture. Social media has truly taken over the lives and minds in this generation, including myself.
When you post a picture, are you looking for validation through your likes, or are you posting it simply because you want to? Do you think you could go a full week without using ANY of these outlets on your phone or computer? I doubt it. But if you can, well kudos to you. I fasted from social media for a month two years ago. The first few days, I was a mess. I did not know that I relied on social media for a lot of things. But after the first two weeks, I actually enjoyed not having to be on social media. I deleted all the apps from my phone, and it was actually quite refreshing. I used that time to get to know myself better, which also made me pay more attention to my environment.
Now of course there are always pros and cons when it comes to social media. I would say a positive outcome from social media would be social networking. This has helped people to establish a company or brand and to reach out to people they normally would not have had the opportunity to do so with. Social media also gives you a chance to see how family, friends, and even strangers are living on a day to day basis. While it is nice sometimes, you have to be very careful about the information that you put out there. Watch what you post, because even if you delete it, it is still virtually out there. Also be careful about certain pictures or statuses that you upload. There are people who watch your every move on your status. They are just waiting for you to say ” Hey followers, I’m traveling to Jamaica for a week! I’m so excited”. You now have told the whole world that you will not be home for a whole week. Now to most that means nothing, but to some that is just an opportunity to break into your house. So sometimes you don’t need to be as specific when posting a status. Another negative about broadcasting your life through pictures and videos, are that employers are always watching to see if you are a right fit for their company. Yes we all like to have a good time, but don’t let that get in the way of you getting that job or even job promotion because they feel you are “unfit” or “unqualified”. Make sure you are able to balance a personal but professional look on your social media outlets.
Social Media is also a good tool of motivation. Now I said ” MOTIVATION” not “JEALOUSY”. People most of the time will not post the bad things occurring in their life. They will post things that will make it seem as though there are no problems occurring in their life. Their statuses include having the perfect job, or mate/spouse, or car, etc. Now you are sitting looking at your screen thinking to yourself, ” I got to do better”. Hopefully as a form of motivation and not being envious. You don’t know what people are truly going through, and don’t know their journey, so don’t be so quick to wish that was your life. (Whew that was a handful huh… well I’m sure at one point we have all done it). But your journey and life experiences are yours and yours only, don’t be envious of others, just be motivated to being the best you can be.
After you have taken the time to log in and out all of these different social media outlets, you now try to figure out, how did four hours go by so fast? It is so easy to be consumed in these outlets, basically doing nothing. Try to limit the number of hours you are on social media, and use that time to better yourself, spend with family or friends, and even get more sleep. Stop refreshing your page every two minutes to see if someone has liked or commented on your status or picture. Now unless you are getting paid for the number of likes you obtain, well then by all means, monitor it. But if not, don’t let the likes validate you. Do people really know your name when they see you in public? Or do they only refer to you as the name you have created on Instagram or Twitter? Now of course some people may have a stage name or nickname, but if they don’t know your ” real name” well then that may not be your true friend. So then you definitely should not be waiting for their validation through your likes. Now I can say, I was one initially who had to have a certain amount of likes, then I remembered, what award am I winning for having 700+ likes? Nothing? Exactly, so I had to change my mind set. Be you and nothing more. It is your page so unless it is something that portrays you in a bad light, post whatever pleases you. People will always find a reason to either like or not like you. Just remember they may not like the post but they are watching, and perhaps even taking a screenshot of it.
So don’t focus so much on what you see on the surface, because sometimes you do not know the whole story behind the likes. Thanks for reading !
-Madam Koverage