Is social media for idiots?
Social media. This generation’s much preferred version of writing a letter, or seeing one another face-to-face. I like to view the media as one gigantic, big brother eye. It sees and hears everything, you can’t escape it. Everywhere you turn there’s a filtered picture here, a thirty second video there, or a meme staring you directly in the face.
Don’t get me wrong, I am no stranger to innocently tapping on the blue and white Facebook icon for a quick 5-minute browse, and accidentally exiting the app an hour later. It’s an addiction that I am slowly trying to wean myself off of. However, as a fellow social media junkie, I feel as though it’s my right to let people in on a little secret.
Social media is for idiots.
There are two sides to social media — expectation VS reality. You scroll down your Instagram feed and see hundreds of selfies by ‘influencers’ or ‘models’, and with a snap of a finger, you are made to feel bad about yourself. It infuriates me how, as a society, obsessed we are with other people’s bodies. I can guarantee you, that model’s image you’ve just liked or influencer’s profile you’ve clicked on is filled with photoshop. Or face-tune. Or Snapchat filters. The expectation is what most people are blinded by. The reality, however, is that no one looks perfect. Everyone has flaws that they dislike but should embrace with open arms — even the models.
Simply because perfect does not exist.
Which is a statement I wish media outlets would understand and learn to accept. Going back to the aforementioned big brother eye and its mysterious ways of knowing anything and everything, media outlets love to get the first inside scoop on a piece of gossip to post about on their website no matter whether it is true or not. One thing I have seen lately is how they constantly hound individuals in the public eye, causing an eruption of mental health issues, to then write an article preaching about the ‘be kind’ movement. It’s plain hypocritical and idiotic, if you ask me.
Bringing me back full circle to the statement — social media is for idiots.
In spite of all of that, social media can also be the type of place to go for escapism. It’s a very efficient way of staying connected with those you love and care for, especially the one’s who you can’t see on a day-to-day basis. The media has a funny way of sparking the inspiration you may have been lacking. Creativity will bound its way out of you like a rabbit on a mission, enabling you to share your passion with the world. In my case, that passion would be writing.
Exercise books and libraries aren’t the only sources for educational purposes anymore, education can surprisingly come from the media. Aspects such as current trending topics or upcoming events could possibly help with that piece of work you’ve been stuck on for the past few hours. YouTube is an app that can relieve you from all that stress, as well as teach you a new skill or life hack.
Raising awareness for an important cause, opportunities to earn money, expanding your business. Social media is genuinely a great way to do all three. It has become the norm to focus solely on the negative side of social media and push the positives to one side, when it’s the positives that truly count and mean a whole lot more.
With all that being said, I want to turn this around and pen the question back to you. Is social media for idiots, or is it the small percentage of idiots that make social media such a negative place?
