For most people in US society, social media is a key form of self-expression. Social media users share emotions, pictures, articles, ideas…amongst millions of other representation of the self. How we choose to represent ourselves on social media can be stressful, however. For social media users like myself, I fall into a cycle of frustration with the information that I share with my friends and family online. Over time, it can be easy to get bored of what content I choose to share, how I share it, and with whom I am sharing the essence of my life with.
If you feel like you are at odds with how you are portraying your life on social media like Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook, here are a couple of ways to rejuvenate and revitalize your platforms.
Start deleting
Start deleting things. Make an effort to go through your social media accounts every once in a while for the sole purpose of deleting “friends,” pictures, or posts. If there is content on your accounts that no longer resonates with the messages you are trying to send about yourself, why keep it? If there are people you never interact with on your following list, why keep following them? Holding on to the people or posts you don’t need is not good for you; learn to let go. In a way, having thousands of friends who aren’t really friends is pointless.
Remember why you are posting
Are you posting for yourself, or for the people around you? Social media is incredible for sharing the moments you are most fond of with the people you care about. Feeling pressured to constantly post in order to please the people around you, or putting up a front in order to satisfy the standards you may be setting for yourself, is ultimately unhealthy for your mental health. Post for YOU. Post when you are passionate. Post when you aren’t trying to impress anyone. Post when it’s genuine.
Reevaluate how often you are posting
With social media platforms, there is an unspoken expectation to post frequently. Posting almost every day is almost second nature. If social media is starting to feel monotonous, taking a break from being consistent in your posts is extremely helpful in making your posts feel meaningful. Posting less, or only when you truly feel passionate about what message you want to convey, might be a way to feel more connected to your online presence.
Social media is typically viewed through a more critical lens; People find fault in these platforms, and while there certainly are, social media unquestionably offers users the opportunity to resent themselves. As social media users, we have the chance to make our mark on our followers in an infinite number of ways. Recognizing this special opportunity, and working to ensure that you are satisfied with your online persona is vital in living your most honest, authentic life.