Here we are. 2018. And the world is progressing as we speak (or as I type). We’re all too engrossed with technology, and maybe we should slow down a little.

I’m talking about social media. All about creating and sharing info, ideas, interests, photos, opinions, daily habits, and basically your WHOLE LIFE via virtual networks. Yup, that social media.

Has it ever occurred to you at a random day that everything seems too much? Everyone’s always glued to their phones, not really texting or speaking with anyone, but just surfing the net, updating their accounts online, posting lots of photos, yada yada yada. It’s like the network of all networks has found a way to slowly suck the life out of a human being, and it’s really troubling.

When social media isn’t that big of a deal before as it is now, life was pretty simple. People would only post stuff to share with their friends, and family members to show them how they’re doing. But now, it seemed to have shifted to a very different direction.

 

Distorted Reality

Everybody’s posting about everything, and if not, then they are posting hand picked moments of their life. Don’t get me wrong. It’s okay. If you choose to share happy moments, you are free to do so. It’s your page, and it’s your life anyways.

But digging deeper, it has evolved into mere appearances– brag culture, like culture, follow culture. These days, people feel better and confident by having more likes on their photos and followers on their page.

Some can’t pass up a single holiday trip without uploading a photo to their network, cause for them, it’s pics or it didn’t happen. 

Some can’t sleep until they see that their profile picture reached a particular number of likes, because only then would they feel good about themselves. 

Some would splurge on lunch dates and night outs, shop “cute” but unnecessary things, and go on trips they don’t even like to begin with, just to have an Instagrammable photo that fits nicely into their feed. 

Today, social media is about painting our life as a glamorous canvas; clearing it from any flaws and imperfections and creating a cool persona.

Acknowledge it or not, social media becomes the cause of jealousy, unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and stress of most people. All because they’re seeing all the travels, careers, and lifestyles of other people. These are not merely feelings. These are already proofs of how toxic social media has become, and that it affects our mental health (very important, btw).

ALSO READ: Why People Should Say ‘Thank You’ Everyday

You won’t lose anything by disconnecting

I pledged to myself to do a social media detox, which is basically, not being too active online. I’m no saint. I’m just as guilty as any ordinary human being. I, too, was really hooked on building my “second reality” online, and I can’t say that I’ve already disconnected from social media just yet. But I’m trying harder every single day, and it’s working.

I’m just gonna share a couple of tips for you not to be caught up in this *more often than not* toxic environment:

• Limit your use of social media. If you have nothing important to do, or have no one important to talk to, don’t use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tinder, Snapchat etc. Instead, focus your attention and energy to doing more productive things at home and work. I’m already on my fourth month of social media detox, but I lurk around Facebook on rare occasions. I also make it a point that when I use my account, it’s for something literally useful, such as updating our group with news, and inventories (I’m into real estate). Well, how about this. Here’s a good head start — learn how not to reach out for your phone to check on your profile as soon as you wake up!
• Create a positive ripple. This post isn’t about convincing you to quit and delete your social network accounts. It’s about outlining the things that make it toxic. Try to be a positive figure to everyone online. Don’t just focus on senseless things or #OOTD posts. Speak up and speak out about an important issue or be a reminder to everyone that they should feel grateful and blessed, etc.
• Eliminate the fear of missing out. Don’t worry if some of your friends are already cruising around the world, while you’re not. Stop the comparisons. You may still be working your ass off at your company, but everyone’s success takes time. Everybody’s life is different. Be patient with yourself. Visualize and trust the Universe, because you will definitely receive it. And if you reach that success of yours, it’s not mandatory for the whole world to know. Quietly progress, stay humble, and don’t let anyone’s opinions get to you.