COLUMN: Step back to reality
There is no doubt social media is a powerful tool, but sometimes we need to step out of the virtual world and focus on reality.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are all influential social media outlets that spark creativity, share ideas and even help us establish connections for future opportunities. The real question is, does it cause more harm than good?
Humans, by nature, are very curious creatures. We have a tendency to compare ourselves to others when it comes to success, beauty, power and social status. We not only use Facebook to “stalk” our ex-relationships, but compare ourselves to friends in nearly every aspect.
We’ve all done it.
We scroll through someone’s profile and irrationally think of ways in which we are not good enough. We compare ourselves to others by looking at their profile pictures and emphasize our own physical flaws. Our self-esteem decreases, and yet, we still continue to participate in the same behavior.
Before you consume your time with social media, understand your worth, understand your importance and, more importantly, understand when to put it down.
We are more courageous behind a computer screen than we are in person.
I cannot believe how many Facebook fights and sub tweets I have seen while scrolling on my own profile. My advice for those who participate in social media drama – just stop.
If you can’t say something to someone’s face, don’t say it online. Bullying on social media has become prevalent in our culture and we must use social media as a tool for social change, not hatred.
Instead of capturing a moment via social media, actually experience it.
When you’re out to dinner, at a movie or just enjoying quality time with friends – put your phone down and enjoy the moment. Don’t Instagram what you ate for dinner or live tweet what happened on the latest episode of “The Walking Dead.”
It’s easy to convince ourselves that everyone wants to know what we’re doing. But the truth is, we don’t. Enjoy what you’re doing and don’t let social media distract you from what’s important.
Although social media can be a powerful tool for staying connected, it can cause ambiguity between relationships.
Social media makes it challenging to distinguish a meaningful relationship we have in the real world and the multiple casual relationships we foster through social media. If we spend more time on the casual relationships we have on Facebook and Twitter, our meaningful real-world relationships will begin to weaken.
Spend more time with family and friends who are there for you. Instead of messaging someone via social media, pick up the phone and call them. Tell them how much they mean to you and learn to disconnect from the virtual world to keep the connections strong in reality.
