You probably took around 20 pictures, then uploaded them into some editing app, found a quirky caption (usually something about “missing summer” or whatever activity seen in said photo). Immediately after you post it on social media, you leave your phone, obsess over the number of likes you got, try to reply to some of your comments, and wonder why your picture has 12 saves. Forgive me if this analysis isn’t accurate. I don’t use social media often, and that’s on purpose. I don’t think I’m better than anyone who does use social media; I understand the benefits. Your friends and a couple hundred strangers get to see how cool you are. You can connect with long lost friends and family from other sides of the country. You can even get rich and famous for it! However, I personally don’t think that the benefits of social media outweigh its negative effects.
Social media is extremely addicting. I could scroll through TikTok or Instagram for hours and wonder why it seems like everyone else is doing so much better than me. People are sharing everything from their college admissions stats to their measurements, but my question is: Is this sharing getting too out of hand? How much information about yourself do you really want to give up?
Furthermore, there’s an extreme amount of hate present on social media. A few months ago Lizzo got hate for just drinking a smoothie, which makes no sense. People, especially women, are getting made fun of for just existing. Do you like following trends? You’re basic. Do you want to stand out? Suddenly, you’re in trouble for being a showoff. Are you confident? Nope, you’re just full of yourself. Every single thing on social media becomes an issue, except for the actual issues. Fake information is being spread every day. Influencers are profiting off of their followers’ insecurities by promoting useless diet pills and appetite-suppressing lollipops. People feel the need to say everything that comes to mind; if they don’t like how you look or the way you dress, they will let you know. People on social media are relentless with no remorse. Somehow, they think it is okay to hide behind a screen and post racist, sexist, homophobic, and antisemitic nonsense. Usually, it just gets brushed off as a joke.
We are constantly comparing our lives to those of others. Why can’t I look like that? Why can’t I afford a private jet to Cancun? Why can’t I be happy all the time? Somehow, we compare our own self worth and personal growth based on how we measure up to other people. This year, I redownloaded social media, deleted it, and then downloaded it again. I don’t use it to keep up with the Kardashians; I haven’t even posted anything, but as much as I hate it, I don’t think I will get rid of it. What can I say, it is useful! I get to follow my favorite newspapers, catch up on new trends in fashion and art, and occasionally hype up my friends’ posts. This may seem like a contradictory statement because I literally just said, “I personally don’t think that the benefits of social media outweigh its negative effects.” But I did my research, and I now know just how harmful social media can be. I don’t pay attention to the rude people, and I don’t compare myself to anyone else, because we are all in different walks of life and we each have to find our own path. I know that sounds straight out of a Goop podcast, but it’s not wrong. Who knows, maybe one day I will start posting on Instagram once a week and look back on this article and laugh, but for today, my social media screen time will stay very low.
