Gather round kids, let’s discuss that new fangled social media thing.
So, I use social media a lot
I’m not gonna sit here and pretend that I’m above it. There’s probably not a day that goes by where I don’t check Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. It also doesn’t help that social media upkeep is an important task involved with all this blogging stuff. However, I know for a fact that I have a healthy relationship with social media. And I honestly don’t believe that it is as unhealthy as we keep harping on about. Don’t get me wrong, it definitely can be unhealthy, but that’s not necessarily the fault of social media itself… Rather the way that we handle it. So, thought I’d write this post dispelling a few of the common arguments against it.
1) Social media has you believing everyone's life is perfect
But does it? Of course, there are people that photoshop their pictures like crazy or only show their “highlight reel”, but that’s not everybody. One of the advantages that social media has in comparison to traditional media is that you are entirely in control of the content that you consume. If everybody on your feed makes you feel bad about your own life then get unfollowing, and if you can’t unfollow people then give them a mute. For every account that makes you unhappy, there’s one that would be fun to consume. Make your feed what you want it to be.
Also… If somebody wants their profile to be their highlight reel then that’s on them. Some people would rather just share photos that make them happy – and they should be allowed to. People do the exact same with photobooks and scrapbooks, the main difference is that we all observe each other’s now.
2) All anyone does anymore is take pictures
It can’t be denied that social media has created a “pics or it didn’t happen” culture. However, it’s not all that new; it just takes place in a more accessible form. I personally have been taking pictures of me, my family and my friends at every opportunity I could (holidays, school trips, random days out) since I got my first camera at 12. The only difference now is that I share those photos online. Social media hasn’t pushed me to take photos of everything, it’s just provided a home for the photos I was already taking.
3) Thanks to social media, we're all vain now
Back in the day, people would sit for hours whilst they paid an artist to paint a still portrait of them… We’ve always been vain. However, thanks to social media it can now cost less. Appearance has always been something people have cared about. I’m not saying that’s a good thing (Although there is nothing wrong with loving yourself), I’m just saying that social media didn’t invent vanity, it’s always been there. There have been magazines and TV shows criticising people’s appearances and encouraging them to lose weight and change their faces and get plastic surgery for years, long before social media was super popular. It may have accelerated things, but honestly, I don’t even know if it’s done that.
4) People only go to places to take photos
I’ll admit, there are many places I wouldn’t have visited had I not seen them on Instagram. And yes, I probably took photos in all of those places while I was there. However, though that may be the reason people find and go to a place, that’s not the only reason they go. The great thing about Instagram, Twitter etc. is that we’re able to share the beauty of locations with others, and as a result, we’re all able to discover and seek out new places. Who cares if the original or primary motivation was to get some pictures for the gram? Doesn’t mean the place still isn’t enjoyed.
Basically, it's not all that bad
This isn’t me saying that social media has no flaws whatsoever. Of course it is flawed. All media sources are. However, I’m sick and tired of people insinuating that it has completely corrupted the world in a way it wasn’t corrupted before. It can definitely be bad… But it can also definitely be good if used correctly.
Would you be interested in a post on positive ways to use social media? And also, what are your opinions on it? I’m open to some friendly debate in the comments!
Lots of love,
Jas xx
I really love this post! There are so many bad things people say about social media, especially the vanity thing. I’ve had people literally take the piss out of me before by saying that I post a load of selfies so how can I say I’m insecure about my appearance? It’s just crazy the assumptions that people make. People have definitely always been vain, they’ve just gone about it in different ways, the only difference is it’s a lot more available to view everywhere now through your mobile phone etc. And I’m the same with taking tons of photos, I always used to do it anyway but I never made any use of the images I was taking. It’s nice to have somewhere to show them off!
Alice xx
Appreciated your objective (and accurate) discussion of social media!
Thanks so much! xx
Hey Jas, I love this and 100% agree. I think we all have different relationships with social media and I’ve never had a bad experience with it. I love using it to feel inspired and discover lots of cool new places. Aoife x
Glad you agree, yeah it’s a good tool! xx
A post that i not only relate too but appreciate as a social media user/marketer and very true. What you put in, you get back so if certain users content makes you feel sad, unfollow them. That’s my rule anyway 🙂
Katt xx
Exactly! xx
I think this shows what a healthy relationship you have with social media, rather than shows that these things aren’t true. A lot of people do only go places for photos now. Or should I say only go and take the photos and forget to take in and live in the moment, which I think is one of the main negatives. Your first point is definitely true. I like my feed to look perfect, so I only really follow accounts that post unrealistic expectations but I’m mindful enough to realise that’s not 100% of that person’s life. But I can totally see why people find it easy to forget that when we spend so much time online now! x
That’s true – I guess it’s all about managing your expectations and the way that we use things! xx
Wow, I agree so much! People complain about social media all the time, but they’re blind to the positives that caused people to create it in the first place. There’s a lot of negativity out there, but social media isn’t all terrible.
Exactly! It definitely isn’t all terrible! xx
I’ve always loved photography – and social media allows us to indulge in this more than ever before, it’s an amazing outlet for creatives too. I think it’s easy for social media to appear one tracked – but there’s much more to it than vanity – there are communities that stem from a whole range of interests – and very useful (e.g. for me, travel, writing/writers groups and other topics I’m interested in).
Being able to share beautiful memories and even inspire others with them – is a fabulous thing and I really love social media for that (I’ve gained a lot of inspiration from it too) – but you are right, where the scales are not tipped in a healthy way, it can be the root of many problems for some people – especially if social media is where they turn to for self esteem and a benchmark (of someone else’s life) to live by – which should really come from sources offline and within yourself.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend ?
It’s so true! It’s all about how you handle it xx
I’ve found that usually, people who complain about social media are people who aren’t using it because they haven’t found a way to make it work for them.
There are social media platforms that I don’t use – Instergram for instance, because I am blind and it’s such an image-based platform that it’s not much fun if you can’t see the images. But there are other platforms that bring me happiness, make me laugh, and help me to stay in touch with my friends or meet new people.
I think it’s like any kind of tool – if you let the number of likes affect your day, or use it to find out what your ex has been up to, it’s going to bring you down. But I’d say that’s more about how we use the tools, and not that the tools are bad in themselves.
Yes, exactly! Anything is bad for you in the wrong hands! xx