If you’ve read my post on Why I Quit Social Media and What I do instead, it becomes pretty obvious that I want more and more people to quit. It’s a toxic place. All those social media apps are ripe grounds for comparing our lives, leaving hate comments, bullying, being mean, toxic and disgusting.
When I say social media, I mean Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. I don’t know about the other social media apps because I’ve never used them before.
Sure I have accounts on all the apps I’ve mentioned before, but do I go on them? No. I last updated my Instagram probably months ago. However, I do need them to promote my blog. Trust me when I say I have zero interest in setting up a private + personal social media account or page.
The Bad Side of Social Media
Before I get into the benefits of using social media, let’s dig into why I hate social media. I’m going to be a bit brief because I’ve written an entire post about all of that.
1 . Social media promotes unhealthy comparison
Social media is a breeding ground for low self esteem. All you see as you scroll down your feed is how gorgeous this person is, or how this other person graduated with flying colors. So you sit back and look at your own life and see how sad and pitiful it is.
The people posting on social media are showing off their highlight reel. They don’t show you all the crap going on in their lives. In addition to that, they are heavily editing their images. If you’re like me, then you are unaware of how easy it is to contort your body into a pleasing figure by sucking it your stomach and twisting your body into unnatural angles.
2 . Social media exposes you to nasty stuff
Social media exposes you to things that you literally did not need to see ever in your life. These things are triggers to your mental health and cause you to have a mental breakdown.
Triggers are everywhere. And the best way to avoid getting triggered is to stay completely away from them.
3 . Social media causes you to get depressed
This is a post from Child Mind explaining how social media causes depression in children.
To me, it seems pretty obvious that going on social media and seeing awesome people in your feed is going to make you feel very sad indeed. I mean, it has happened to me so many times! When I compare my life to the perfect ones on Instagram, I feel really unworthy. Almost like I’m not a deserving human because I can’t be productive and beautiful every single day.
Comparison can lead to self-hate. Why can’t my life be like theirs? You ask. Well, it can’t because you two are wildly different people, living different lives, probably half way across the world from each other. You just can’t be like other people. It’s impossible.
The Benefits of Social Media
Here is a list of possible benefits of social media. Social media is not the worst thing on earth. It has some awesome benefits for everyone. A cautionary advice is to use it in moderation, just like everything on earth.
1 . Social media informs and provides knowledge
There are so many things that we have learnt from being on social media. Whether it’s news about new discoveries, or empowering history from the past. Social media helps us to learn new things that have a huge impact on us as individuals. That is one of the biggest benefits of social media.
2 . Social media facilitates change
Social media is a platform for voicing opinions and expressing injustice. A recent example is the Black Lives Matter movement that has boosted the plight of black people at the hands of police. Social media has undeniably done a lot to facilitate change and get people the justice that is a right for human beings.
3 . Social media promotes love and positivity
Social media promotes positivity. Sure, it promotes the opposite too, but the point still stands. It is a place where people come and share their unique experiences, thereby providing representation for other people. It makes us feel seen and boosts confidence and self esteem.
Social media empowers us as human beings to live a confident life where we can be ourselves, and we don’t have to change for anyone or anything.
4 . Social media is a place to share and have fun
Social media can be fun. Really fun. You get to talk to your friends, family and even strangers. You open up your bubble to this vast and huge world where you get to meet lots of people.
You share your thoughts, make friends, discover new interests, and learn a lot. This is one important benefit of social media.
5 . Social media lets you meet people like you
It’s fun to find people that look like us or like the things we like. It’s great to share ideas and discuss our mutual interests with others. The internet is huge and projects us far beyond our small towns, into this amazing community where we can interact with people who have mutual interests.
6 . Social media helps you discover and understand yourself more
When you share things on social media, it’s a platform to explore the kind of person you are. This is something you would probably have never achieved offline. Social media lets you put anything up online. It’s almost like a journal in this regard. It lets you discover and understand yourself more. It’s a place for expression through writing, photography, or illustrations. Maybe even more! Like songs and books and videos!
The choice is yours now
Social media is great. It’s amazing. So many people are in love with social media and can’t live without it. That might be a problem, though.
Social media should be used in moderation. If you find yourself feeling depressed and ashamed of yourself by using it, it might be time to take a break and reassess your self worth. Self worth is a fundamental human right of everyone on earth. If you feel unworthy of life, things need to change. Try not to compare yourself to other people on social media. Even if you do, be sure to remember that everyone is on their unique journey.
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