The Problem With Social Media

The Problem With Social Media

Everyday, I find myself going onto social media like Facebook or Instagram and seeing a plethora of things. A majority of those things are the GOOD things that are happening to people. Which is AWESOME... in a sense. “Just got a new job!” “Officially studying abroad in Germany!” “ Just got accepted to…” All GREAT things. Now, I am very happy for these people, don’t get me wrong.  Those are awesome things!  But suddenly, a part of me feels inadequate. I think, "man, everybody else's lives are so perfect. They are accomplishing so much. They are going out there and really getting things done! They all seem to know exactly what they are doing and life is just PEACHY. " That’s when I realize... I couldn’t be more incorrect.

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We HAVE to stop comparing our REAL lives to other people’s lives on social media. Come to think of it,  from a social media standpoint, my life must look fricken great. Yes, I posted the last few concerts I have been to and the celebrities I have met. Yes, I have posted beautiful Florida sunrises and my days spent at the beach. Yes, from social media… my life must look practically perfect and problem free.  Funny, because it’s far from it. I’m not going to post about financial difficulties, or family problems. I’m not going to post about the trials, hardships, and the shitstorms that seem to keep knocking me down. Sometimes, even on the worst days of my life, I find myself posting about how great my day is. It’s the strangest thing. And if I do these things… surely other people do too. I know I can’t be the only one who does this.

I often would find myself even putting down the biggest of accomplishments that I’ve made because I compare myself to other people’s lives on social media. “I might have done this awesome thing but man, what Lisa did is SO much better." I’m not so sure why I do this because this is so far from the truth. What your friend did IS awesome, but are you forgetting how awesome the thing was that you did too? An accomplishment is an accomplishment no matter how small. On social media, people might even make their accomplishments out to be something REALLY EXTRAVAGANT AND OVER EXAGGERATED, so don’t feel bad just because you don’t over exaggerate. You are still going out there and getting what you want! You just don’t broadcast it. And if you did, people might be comparing THEIR real lives to your SOCIAL MEDIA life, too.

If everyone posted all the stuff that was actually going on in our lives, the Internet would be a very sad place. We would probably see a lot of divorce, broken homes, financial problems, broken hearts, and so much more. We post the positive because that is how we want others to perceive our lives. As I said, I am in no way saying this is a bad thing because I do it too. But, for this reason ,we cannot compare our lives on social media to the lives of others on social media.  We ALL have a lot of things we are covering up. Remember that your accomplishments are great. And just because somebody doesn’t post about the hard times they are going through, doesn’t mean that their life is perfect either. You know that girl who you follow on Instagram that is super pretty and her life seems perfect? Her grandma just died. Or that guy who wears suits every day and seems to have his crap together? His girlfriend just dumped him and he just lost hundreds in the stock market. Is this making sense? 

Your accomplishments are just as big as other people's,  you're probably going through just as much bullcrap, and just because you don't overexaggerate your greatness, doesn't mean you are not great!

Stop comparing yourself to others on social media. You’re just going to feel depressed for no reason.

Because you, my dear, are awesome. :)