Have you ever questioned yourself if you need a break from social media or have tried to use less social media in your daily life? Instagram and other social media platforms have been incorporated for years in our modern times and have increased insecurities which have negatively made an impact on mental health. Most things we see on social media are fake or unrealistic; sometimes the underlying purpose of it is to manipulate the viewer. In our generation, we’ve seen how social media is becoming an addiction and a superficial way of living. Today, Instagram specifically, has brought toxicity into our way of thinking, the way we connect in real life, and most importantly the way we think and perceive ourselves and our goals.
Not only is this platform toxic in a way that presents unrealistic lives and personas but that it is extremely influenced by marketing and profits. What we see in others, we want and desire and it becomes a nonstop cycle of spending to obtain that outcome of what we’ve seen in those who are influential or as we call it “influencers”. This consumption is universal and the consumers meaning the viewers are simply benefitting the ones with a higher rank. There is a manipulative side to it all that has made us humans think low of each other and has affected our self-esteem. A series of stereotypes come into play when thinking of social media platforms and how women are perceived. It has made women feel as if they need to cover their flaws and stand by the unrealistic figure of a woman that has been created. On Instagram, we see hundreds of pictures of women with perfect faces and bodies which has made the realness of women go downhill. When I say realness I’m specifically talking of the beauty of having stretch marks or cellulite and embracing our flaws. However, it has made us conscious and insecure of what a like and comment might say about our bodies or image. Moreover, the issue of the filters that have given birth to having and desiring a skin with no texture. Here is some news for you, the skin is supposed to have texture! These platforms have made individuals want a different color eye or perfect skin and that is not real.
“You only see what they want you to see” to simply further this, people only post when they are having a good time or what they want you to see about them. There are no genuine interactions and it is all done for likes and as a way of feeling a part of something and a culture. Additionally, it has affected mental health tremendously because having toxic platforms can truly take individuals to dark places where there’s no self-love or are simply unhappy with the lives they are living. Even though social media has been a way of sharing and is growing into being a platform of news and awareness with certain accounts, there is a large percentage of the user that is negative and has been taken out of context and purpose. Lastly, I propose to you this, go on a walk and disconnect. Spend some time without any social media platform and read a book or reconnect with your inner self because even if we seem okay there’s a lot of clarity and peace that comes when you disconnect from it all. I would also suggest trying to follow positive accounts that can lift you and motivate you to accomplish your goals. It is important to remind ourselves that most of the things that are shown through the media are not real and that what is real is worth embracing.