Social Media Reality

Over the years, technologies are getting more advanced and that is why social media has become part of our everyday life. Everything we do and talk about can now be read online on the computers or cell phones. Today, social media has become widely used in the young generation especially. However, this has caused them to be more vulnerable to peer pressure and has been linked to a surprising number of undesirable mental health consequences; Self depression, low self-esteem, bitterness and jealousy amongst their peers.

As a teenager myself, I believe that not only does social media and depressive symptoms go hand in hand, but the mediating factor seems to be what we called “Social Comparison.” As the saying goes, “Comparison is the thief of joy” and yet many of us are inclined to make comparisons between our dullest moments and our friend’s momentous ones which they posted online.

As much as how illogical these social comparisons may be, our emotional responses to such image can be so strong that they completely overpower our sense of logic and affect our mood. We all know the gut wrenching feeling that arises when we see something lacking in ourselves which provokes the thoughts of second guessing our looks, personality or capabilities.

So how can we stop ourselves from feeling this way? Simple. I have come to learn that we should always keep reminding ourselves what reality is as people are constantly only showcasing the best aspects of their life onto social media. This also means that reality is what is really missing and hidden on social media. Many emphasize the best version of themselves instead of the real versions.

Life can be tough, ugly, sad, depressing at times. There is no such thing as perfect life. But in the social media world, these are unlikely to be reflected and in the photos people post onto their social media accounts.

In conclusion, instead of allowing ourselves to make us feel poorly about ourselves, why not switch perspective and try to view it as an opportunity for a little self-evaluating and a chance for us to further improve ourselves in every aspect of our lives.

#justsomereflections