Social media plays quite the role in how our lives sort of...form, in today's world. And as basic instinct, we're very used to sharing positive news on Facebook. Maybe it's a psychological thing...I mean of course it is - we very rarely tend to share bad news on social media, unless it be the death of someone close.
Our social media personalities are the epitome of who we want to be - the ideal self - which is why we tend to post more news/updates that are inclined to positive thoughts. We want those likes. It's a confirmation that you're pretty, or that you getting into xxx college is a great thing, or that being in a relationship with some idiot is a good thing (okay not everyone you date is an idiot...)
Of course, we're not all like this. Some people like to use social media as lurkers...which is worse. Lurkers just observe other people, maybe occasionally liking a picture or two, but you tend to forget that this person even exists on a social media platform. The sad thing about lurkers is that we tend to observe other people's happening lives, and automatically assume ours is...boring, depressing, uneventful...whereas we forget that those who post actively are not posting moments of them doing nothing.
This is kind of why I like snapchat...I mean it started off as an app to send naked snaps of people, but now it's an app that gives me the sense of belonging. I'll snap my mundane breakfast of cereal, and my friend will snap back the exact same thing! Also, snapchat is a place where not so pretty selfies are acceptable...and appreciated :)
And that's how it should be generally. I don't step out of the house in a pretty red dress, scarlet lips and curled eyelashes everyday...like my Facebook profile picture displays everyday. We need to accept the good and the bad. It's great that we're more than excited to share happy news on Facebook or Twitter...but we can't assume a person is always happy because of their social media posts. Everyone has their ups and downs, and using social media as a platform to judge how "good" people's lives are is just...not right.
Why did I post this? I saw a picture of two of my friends on Facebook, posted a month after their huge argument. The catch is, they still talk to me individually about this fight and have not really...moved on.
Your thought after reading this post? "Who are these two friends? Am I one of them? Shit."
...ahh the power of psychology :)
<goes back to Facebook and stares at happy lives of people>
<cries self to sleep>
Our social media personalities are the epitome of who we want to be - the ideal self - which is why we tend to post more news/updates that are inclined to positive thoughts. We want those likes. It's a confirmation that you're pretty, or that you getting into xxx college is a great thing, or that being in a relationship with some idiot is a good thing (okay not everyone you date is an idiot...)
Of course, we're not all like this. Some people like to use social media as lurkers...which is worse. Lurkers just observe other people, maybe occasionally liking a picture or two, but you tend to forget that this person even exists on a social media platform. The sad thing about lurkers is that we tend to observe other people's happening lives, and automatically assume ours is...boring, depressing, uneventful...whereas we forget that those who post actively are not posting moments of them doing nothing.
This is kind of why I like snapchat...I mean it started off as an app to send naked snaps of people, but now it's an app that gives me the sense of belonging. I'll snap my mundane breakfast of cereal, and my friend will snap back the exact same thing! Also, snapchat is a place where not so pretty selfies are acceptable...and appreciated :)
And that's how it should be generally. I don't step out of the house in a pretty red dress, scarlet lips and curled eyelashes everyday...like my Facebook profile picture displays everyday. We need to accept the good and the bad. It's great that we're more than excited to share happy news on Facebook or Twitter...but we can't assume a person is always happy because of their social media posts. Everyone has their ups and downs, and using social media as a platform to judge how "good" people's lives are is just...not right.
Why did I post this? I saw a picture of two of my friends on Facebook, posted a month after their huge argument. The catch is, they still talk to me individually about this fight and have not really...moved on.
Your thought after reading this post? "Who are these two friends? Am I one of them? Shit."
...ahh the power of psychology :)
<goes back to Facebook and stares at happy lives of people>
<cries self to sleep>
