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Social Media and the People Behind their Photos

yalatorre

New member
Recently, I read an article where people came forth about what was actually happening behind the scenes before they took their insta-perfect photo. One girl had a photo of her smiling on some exotic vacation and her caption said, "This had been the first time I smiled since my divorce, I had been crying just minutes before." This really hit home for me. There is so much virtual involvement in other people's lives that maybe we have forgotten to actually reach out to our friends because we feel we already know what they are up to on social media.

And, perhaps the same thing has happened with online dating. We feel like we are connecting and dating just sitting on a couch swiping, but no one is actually out there making real moves and having real conversations.

My social media account shows that I travel frequently, I am constantly surrounded by friends and it looks like I have never had a bad day in my life. The truth is I often experience loneliness, I often find it painfully hard to round up a group of friends to do anything and I have to really hustle to make a vacation happen.

What does your "real life" compare to your social media account?
 

OlgaC

Member
Same thing. 10-15 years ago when social media was more personal and private, we could share also bad news with people. Now everyone is following everyone, for me social media became a thing that I check when I am bored. I don’t feel like sharing my every day life with ”friends” but only post when something big happens, like traveling, birthday, anniversaries. And judging by my profile, one could think I travel and party constantly. :D
 

yalatorre

New member
Same thing. 10-15 years ago when social media was more personal and private, we could share also bad news with people. Now everyone is following everyone, for me social media became a thing that I check when I am bored. I don’t feel like sharing my every day life with ”friends” but only post when something big happens, like traveling, birthday, anniversaries. And judging by my profile, one could think I travel and party constantly. :D
Haha. Wouldn't we all be living fabulous lives if our social media outlets were accurate! :)
 

MaryH

New member
Yes, social media was more personal and private 10-15 years ago. Do you remember when everyone shared what they were eating, and they included a pic of what they were eating? It was as if we followed every moment of our friends life. Now, people share the big things that happen in their lives, and they are rather quiet the rest of the time. Most of it has turned to the commercial side of life. It could be because most of my friends own small businesses, and that is why I got into social media to begin with.
 

DanRoz

New member
Not sure if you guys agree, but I feel like social media's place in society has fundamentally shifted:
It used to be primarily used for convenient communication, but now it's more focused on cultivating a persona (i.e. a "personal brand"). Personally, I've tried to keep my use of social media exclusively focused on the communication aspects (mostly to keep my sanity intact).
 

yalatorre

New member
Not sure if you guys agree, but I feel like social media's place in society has fundamentally shifted:
It used to be primarily used for convenient communication, but now it's more focused on cultivating a persona (i.e. a "personal brand"). Personally, I've tried to keep my use of social media exclusively focused on the communication aspects (mostly to keep my sanity intact).
Completely agree! We all think we are influencers now. And in a way, we do make it so that complete strangers can influence what we like, look like in our photos and even the way we capture our lives!
 

Termar30

New member
Recently, I read an article where people came forth about what was actually happening behind the scenes before they took their insta-perfect photo. One girl had a photo of her smiling on some exotic vacation and her caption said, "This had been the first time I smiled since my divorce, I had been crying just minutes before." This really hit home for me. There is so much virtual involvement in other people's lives that maybe we have forgotten to actually reach out to our friends because we feel we already know what they are up to on social media.

And, perhaps the same thing has happened with online dating. We feel like we are connecting and dating just sitting on a couch swiping, but no one is actually out there making real moves and having real conversations.

My social media account shows that I travel frequently, I am constantly surrounded by friends and it looks like I have never had a bad day in my life. The truth is I often experience loneliness, I often find it painfully hard to round up a group of friends to do anything and I have to really hustle to make a vacation happen.

What does your "real life" compare to your social media account?
I just wanted to say I know what you mean. All of my peers seem to want to have social media around them all the time but I think it could be damaging sometimes. For example I went to my daughters talent show at school and instead of trying to record and tweet or photograph the program i decided to just sit and watch. It was so much more pleasant than trying to focus on what was going on at the show than trying to focus on if my camera had enough space to hold what I want to see later. It's hard to refrain from social media but it seems that it can be much more pleasurable than trying to share all aspects of your life with everyone around you instantly.
 

JBee

New member
"Social Media is a depressant."

I don't remember where I heard this but it really changed my perspective about social media and how I should use it.

I think the logic behind that statement is : as regular users are scrolling through social media looking at other people's lives they are constantly comparing to their own lives, be it consciously or subconsciously. There's always someone that "is more beautiful", more "handsome", is "more physically fit", more "successful", "happier", has a "better" family, is "smarter", has a bigger house, better car, cuter kids, smarter kids, dresses better, is more talented, has whiter teeth, has straighter teeth, is more wealthy, is more loved and accepted by society, the list goes on and on.... ! These thoughts could make one feel like their life sucks (for lack of a better word).

Ever scrolled through Facebook or Instagram - and after putting your phone down sat there feeling so LITTLE? Feeling like your life is not where it SHOULD be? I have.

As mentioned in some of the previous comments - people post their BEST SELVES on social media now days. No one wants to really talk about the bad days, or the overdue carnote and/or mortgage, or that their children get straight A's but are disrespectful to their parents, or about their addiction to the gym because of their low self esteem, or about the pounds of make-up and excess use of filters they use to post that beautiful profile picture, or the loneliness and sadness that is sometimes associated with wealth ...

I learned that it is important to focus on my own personal journey. My own purpose of why I am here. To focus on how I will use my own talents to help contribute to society. How I am beautiful because of who my creator is, not because the world says so.

So I still use social media, but I do not allow it to consume my day and I rarely meditate on what others are posting. I have fasted from social media on a few occasions and the feeling was great. I felt free from negativity. I imagine I will fast again in the future anytime I feel like it's becoming a bit much.
 

chocory

New member
I think when it comes to social media there definitely is a danger of getting too sucked in, of trying to curate a perfect online persona. But there is a beauty in it as well, of connection and community—I do feel that without it I wouldn't have been able to reconnect with old friends or to find new friends, etc. I guess the important thing is to be aware of the negatives and of your own activity so that you don't fall prey to them, but rather appreciate social media for the positives it was intended for.
 

1akhand2

New member
I used to be too much active on social media a few years back. I remained online whole time building my profile, tagging and collecting likes. I really wasted a lot of time on it scrolling down and peeping into others lives. But gradually that fever faded away. I deactivated all those accounts but once a week I still use a fake account to peep into the sites to watch what others are doing 😉😉😁.
 

Master

Member
People definitely tend to post only the good things about their life.

Which is kind of a bummer, you don't get to see all the bad shit. But sharing the bad stuff can rely help you relate to that person more, I would encourage you people to do it.

Don't be a harbinger of bad news, but allow yourself to sometimes express your sadness on social media.

That's what I think!
 

hg93

New member
I think when it comes to social media there definitely is a danger of getting too sucked in, of trying to curate a perfect online persona. But there is a beauty in it as well, of connection and community—I do feel that without it I wouldn't have been able to reconnect with old friends or to find new friends, etc. I guess the important thing is to be aware of the negatives and of your own activity so that you don't fall prey to them, but rather appreciate social media for the positives it was intended for.
Agreed! In this era of internet and social media, it's so easy to get sucked into the darker parts of it, comparing yourself to others rather than focusing on yourself. And I also agree about the part you mentioned of its beauty. If used positively, with a conscious and reflective attitude, rather than a comparing one, it can help bring communities together. I guess the goal is to find ways to help others see this perspective as well. Ideas?
 

Paty100

New member
I feel people are now slaves to social media. They only want to post when times are good or when they are in a cool exciting place. No one post emotional situations again.....
These days people are even afraid of posting their not so fine pictures, because they are scared of not having much likes or retweets....

Most people live two life social life, and real life
 

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