Social media has developed into an arch of our generation. It was always and still is used as a way of communication but it has kind of transformed into expression and creativeness. - Whether that is depicted through youtube videos or Instagram posts. It has also been used as a platform for many young people in speaking up about certain topics or issues that are needed to be addressed.
I've always looked as social media as the normal thing to do. - I wasn't sure what to do without it as it has become apart of my daily routine. It wasn't until Essena spoke her mind that my mind opened up about the negative effect it can have on an individual. I realised that I looked at my phone literally every few minutes to check what other people were doing instead of focusing on my own life. I had no reason to go on my phone - no one called or texted me. I just went on my phone check my snapchat, twitter, instagram and facebook for NO REASON AT ALL. When you start to notice that it's become something you have to do when you wake up and before you go to sleep, then it becomes a problem. I've always had this thing of worrying about other people's lives and feeling jealous when other people are out with their friends or going different places while i'm at home - it really just makes me feel angry and saddened and I start telling myself that my life sucks because 'Sally' is hanging out with 'Annabel' and I'm alone. Seriously though, why has it become this way?
I love instagram - it's probably my favourite form of social media and I'm able to post the things that are apart of my day. I love admiring other people's photos to, so I can learn new things and see other people's creativity. It's great when you look at it from that perspective. However, it can be really draining. As Essena said, she saw instagram as' the way to fame' and she felt like she needed followers and likes to make herself happy. The strange thing is, I loved Essena's instagram; I felt so jealous of her life and I thought she really did have it all. It wasn't until she opened up about how her photos were 'staged' or she was pretending to be a certain way just for the public eye. That brings up the whole idea of social media not being real because a photo of someone smiling doesn't always mean they are truly happy. This made me question my instagram and start remembering a time where I did post photos that I didn't enjoy taking just to show people that my life isn't bad - when it really was.
Another big topic was the idea that social media is fake. Essena covered on how majority of big following accounts are paid for posting photos that they are not passionate about. I honestly did not know about this - all I knew was that people get sponsored by brands to promote their products, not so much being paid money for it. There were a bunch of accounts on instagram that I admired and I noticed how some were continuously positing photos in which they were sponsored by brands. I think it's a great thing to work with a company that you really like and share it to the world but it can be quite hard to trust people who are constantly promoting brands when they don't even like the products they advertise.
I do think social media has it's perks and I guess the way you view it all depends on how much you know about it. My opinions has definitely changed on the whole thing and I want it to make it a challenge to reduce my time spent on social media and enjoy the real world. Let me know how you feel on this topic!
Have a lovely night.
Xo
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