Human interaction is essential to your survival. We yearn to belong to something that relates to us, to someone that understands us and knowing that others accept us. We are inspired by the lives of others in hopes that we too can place ourselves in a position of peace and opulence, using their lives as a motivation to grow. This kind of interaction is why being social matters.
The existence of media isn't new. Its purpose is to inform, educate, and entertain.
Before social media existed, who you were was exactly who you were. After it blew up and everyone’s lives became dependent upon social media likes and comments, everything changed. Perspectives became blurred and things of menial importance were now the center of our universe.
Many believe that social media is the culprit of broken relationships. This isn't true. Users of social media are the narrators of their experience. That goes for you and everyone else who has an account.
You are the driver of your own accounts. Social media is simply a tool for communication. It is the birth child of growth in technology, so nothing has really changed. It has merely magnified what was already there. Its effects are the result of how it's used, what's consumed while using, and consumption of time.
Like anything else in life, your experience is what you make it. There are pros and cons of using social media. Let's explore the most important one of each:
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It Magnifies What Lies Beneath
There is room to learn more about yourself depending on the accounts you follow. What is watered will grow, so if you are following meaningless and toxic accounts, you cannot expect to move forward or produce any form of growth. Avoid accounts that make you feel like you're not enough at all costs. Follow accounts that water your spirit. Follow accounts that teach you and nurture your goals. Follow the light on social media.
What you engage with says a lot about where you are mentally. Consider the accounts you follow for inspiration. Do these accounts make you feel happier and courageous or sad and unworthy? Consider the accounts you follow for entertainment? Do you feel relatable and less alone, or are they just a means of entertainment and distraction?
If you were insecure before social media, following accounts that provoke you creates a bad experience. If you were confident and optimistic before social media, you'll find accounts that contribute to those things.
Accounts that entertain you, even if toxic, won't shake you. Social media helps you explore more about yourself. Regardless of what you see online, it is a reflection of your mind. How you choose to use your social accounts is your choice. Remember that what is there is only magnified.
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It Distracts You
We use social media as a distraction. Conscious or unconscious, we take it with us daily. We are curious about what we've missed. We use it as a distraction when nervous or bored. In turn, we become addicted. Soon, we're naked without our phones and access to our social accounts.
Consumption overload happens. Too much of anything is not healthy. We consume instead of working. We use it instead of communicating in the flesh. We look at our phones. We share and read content from others. We become distracted and this is not healthy.
Combating the Cons of Social Media:
Put your phone down!! Turn off your computer and remove all forms of technology with access to your social media from the room! For a couple of hours a day, turn your phone on Do Not Disturb (or completely off, if you have the willpower) and focus on what’s actually happening around you. Go for a walk, read a book. Do anything but look at a screen.
Don’t scroll through your feed before bed. This could not only cause insomnia but you run the risk of seeing something that could disrupt your spirit and interrupt your peace. Neither do you want, or need that before bed.
How you use social media determines your experience. If you follow accounts that cause you to feel 'less than', unfollow them. Follow more accounts that feed your soul. What you water will grow. There is no special recipe for the impact social media will have on your life. Control who you allow in your space. That includes who you follow and who follows you.
