All That Glitters…
We live in a web of social media. We are so interconnected with the world that total strangers across the world could know more about us than our families. They know our morning look, outfit of the day (OOTD), food choices…the list goes on! We get up, check our messages across platforms and mindlessly scroll through 100s of posts and stories. We continue this throughout the day and finally, put down the phone only when we are off to bed. Happens with you?
Imagine living without your phone for 24 hours and you would know what I am talking about.
Apart from the fact that businesses are thriving thanks to the huge amount of information available via social media channels, we, ourselves, consume a large amount of data everyday consciously or subconsciously.
The question is whether that information represents the reality around us? Is everybody around us celebrating, having fun and looking great? Are all the relationships around us sorted?
The answer is a big NO. Because, well, reality is a complicated mess. It is as much tiring, sad, and stressful as it is amazing and wonderful!
Yet, we hardly see anyone posting pictures of their fights, or moments when they are completely stressed out or freaked out or sad. Agree? Being vulnerable on social media is hard. So we only get to know what people want us to know about their lives. And that is only a small fraction of their real lives.
Let me ask you this. How do you feel scrolling through the feeds? Do you start to worship someone else’s life, may be their lifestyle or their fashion sense?
If the answer is yes, well, you are not alone! A lot of people, especially teenagers, may start to believe that everyone else around them is living an amazing life while their lives seem to have never ending issues. And once this thought has entered someone’s mind, it slowly enters in their lives, making it only worse from there.
So, to anyone reading this, I want to say it out loud. Please please know that social media is only very selective information that people wish to share from their lives. It, in no way, defines their complete lives. Life is full of ups and downs and has innumerable challenges. And each one of us has to go through our share of hardships, tears, heart breaks…whether or not it is on the internet.
Comparing your life with social media isn’t a one to one comparison. So, if you ever look at someone’s life that looks perfect on the internet and you so wish that it were your life, just remember, All That Glitters Is Not Gold.
So, tell me in comments how you feel when you scroll through your social media feed?
PS: The book ‘Hooked’ is an interesting read with some great examples around habit forming products.
