Is Social Media running your life?

How you’re keeping up with the Joneses without even knowing it.

No, not me you might say, I don’t need to prove nothing to no one. Right? Think again…

Although many people nowadays feel they are impervious to the power of social media (such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, and the like) not many realize that they spend countless hours every day on these very platforms. For instance, Facebook – by far the platform of choice (with the most users in the world) has become the official keeper of family history used by millions, if not billions of people. Long gone are the days when your mom proudly displayed your graduation photos in a neatly arranged paper album. Nowadays, all pictures are digital, and dutifully posted on Facebook, Instagram or any random “you name it” app that has an “on this day” feature to conveniently remind us how proud we must have felt on the anniversary of this date.

Back in the day (that is to say 10, 15 years ago), people modestly accepted but typically downplayed over complimentary praise. These days there’s a hashtag used for almost anything (#andIlluseonenow) in pursuit of attention, validation and/or acceptance. Each post displaying feelings, opinions, actions and situations to share with the world. Such use of social media can be healthy, it can also be damaging…

How so, you might ask? Perhaps its impact on you is positive … unless, the digital form of communication takes precedence over your real-life relationships and interactions. The need to share every aspect of one’s life – the good and the bad –  in addition to the instant gratification one gets when a post is liked by others, can have negative consequences on peoples’ lives possibly even altering thought perceptions and behavior patterns. The want, and inevitably the need to be accepted, not just by your immediate circle, but by countless online viewers (some of whom you may not even know) can “downgrade” the attention received by spouses, partners, parents and/ or lifelong friends who you truly care about. Welcome to the digital world of the 21st century: where social media makes, and breaks people.

Is it worth it? Only you can tell. Let me know what you think – drop me a line, share and comment.