Does Social Media Distort Your Reality?

“We’re living at a time when attention is the new currency. Those who insert themselves into as many channels as possible look set to capture the most value. ” — Pete Cashmore, Founder of mashable.com

It is safe to say that social media is all around us and is a big part of our daily lives. From the moment we wake up our smartphone is already in our hands. We scroll through Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn to stay connected with the world.

Not everything is as it seems. Having your social media flooded with supermodels and unrealistic body expectations makes one vulnerable.

Many social media users claim pictures on Instagram make them feel more self-conscious. They see the flat bellies, clear faces without wrinkles and other conditions, or muscular bodies and shiny white teeth. This makes the average person look at their normal stomach rolls, normal spots on their face, and their normal bodies with something better to compare it to. That is why you can sometimes feel you are not attractive because your feed is full of those kinds of images, so normal becomes the word for not good enough. And it’s not only an issue for those consuming this content, either.

What looks like a picture of a fun day at the dog park, or an exciting evening at the club, is a heavily edited piece of work. One might start wanting to make their body look just a bit curvier, but end up using the blur effect even on their dog to remove wrinkles. Some influencers have expressed having edited posts is a double-edged sword, saying that even when they receive a lot of positive feedback, it is because they didn’t even post the real picture. Examples like this show that Instagram has its hand in distorting your idea of body expectations. We recommend following accounts that post unedited pictures, and not editing your own. Furthermore, it could also be beneficial to take the focus from comparing yourself to others.

What about other social media platforms? Have you ever thought, I’ll check a few tweets then go to bed, and when you next look at the clock, three hours have passed? This is because social media is made to be addictive, and in turn causes you to lose your sense of time. It keeps you interested and develops FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), so you constantly check for messages or new posts. One solution for this issue might lie in timer apps, which only allow you a pre-determined amount of time to use a specific app. It is a helpful way of limiting yourself and getting some sleep. However, you might have another worry on your mind: What about my friends, or family?

A common pro for social media is how connected we are to people all over the world, constantly. It is a certain benefit because we can do significantly more work in less time. This includes sending emails instead of letters, sending a message on WhatsApp instead of having to call or video chatting with a family member in another country.

On the other hand, constantly being connected might be a reason there has been a spike in anxiety levels since social media came about. A lot of teenagers and young adults feel like they need to answer messages immediately and make themselves available almost 24/7, which takes a toll on their mental health. A different group of people would say they wait a certain amount of time before replying to messages, as a way to not seem like they’re constantly online.

Both of these examples show a worrying trend of obsessing over messages, calls, and other notices, and one of the possible answers to this might just be blocking notifications. That way, you are not constantly bombarded with new information. Not only that, but it will allow you to choose which social media you want to spend your time on, instead of wasting hours on irrelevant ones.

While social media has a major role in our lives today, it is important to remind yourself that virtual reality is not the same as real life. From edited images through losing track of time and concerning yourself about reply time, social media definitely tries to distort one’s sense of self, reality, and normality. Because of this, we need to take a more proactive role in bringing ourselves back, to view the real world as it is, and that’s why we included tips to take a step in that direction.