''You were born to be real not to be perfect'' this was a quote I recently posted on my social media pages. But tell that to
any young person growing up in this era of Instagram and snapchat and they will
look at you as if you are crazy. They
believe that one has to showcase as many perfect shots as possible to
give an illusion of a perfect life. How else will they keep their followers? The
truth is the pressure is real, even for adults who post frequently on Instagram
or other social media platforms.
To
Post Or Not To Post
When you think of how many photos the average person who
is on Instagram takes, the question on their mind is ''what should I post?''. Some post for business, some for fun and others a mixture of the two. I fall in the last category.
Recently, a bad allergy struck which affected my eyes. Both my eyes were puffy and I looked terrible. I shared the photo with my mum and her first reaction was ‘’Rita, you are not going to post that on social media, are you?’’ I laughed out loud. ‘’No mum I am not going to share it’’. On hindsight though, what harm would it have caused if I had posted it? How many likes would it have attracted? Would it have gone viral? You know, keeping it real hahaha. (Maybe not)
Recently, a bad allergy struck which affected my eyes. Both my eyes were puffy and I looked terrible. I shared the photo with my mum and her first reaction was ‘’Rita, you are not going to post that on social media, are you?’’ I laughed out loud. ‘’No mum I am not going to share it’’. On hindsight though, what harm would it have caused if I had posted it? How many likes would it have attracted? Would it have gone viral? You know, keeping it real hahaha. (Maybe not)
Can You Be Truly Authentic?
My husband says it’s not possible to give a truly authentic self
on social media because followers want drama and action. He says that’s what
social media is made for. Not for boring real life stories of imperfect bodies and
normal day to day living. You have to look the part, be the part and snap the part. Hmmmmm Do you agree? I must say Ive met people that seem so happy and warm on Instagram or Facebook'(like they could be my best friend) but when you see them in real life, they are not as friendly or maybe they are more friendly in real life, so I guess there is truth in the fact that you cant be truly yourself.
What
Is Real?
So where does that leave us with reality? Research states that many struggle with this perceived lifestyle that they see regularly on Instagram and even on Facebook. This can even cause envy and hostility even among close friends and family members. Alex Williams describes the glimpses into other people's lives that Instagram offers as ''a new form of torture''. (New York Times)
In my opinion, these type of followers don’t understand the power of posing, editing and only showing the best, which is quite frankly, really easy to do (wink).
In my opinion, these type of followers don’t understand the power of posing, editing and only showing the best, which is quite frankly, really easy to do (wink).
How Do
We Keep It Real?
We can’t control the perception of
others but we can control what we put out there and hope that people
will understand that most of the time, the photos are just for that ‘’moment’’. After all it is social media which is really about having fun and posting fun.
Would love to hear your thoughts on ''The Instagram Life'' or Facebook Life (for the oldies lol). Can
you relate to this write up? Does your life seem like your in constant bubble or fun holidays? Or are you the type that gets frustrated with others who seem to have the perfect life? You dont have to answer these question. Hopefully, will just have a laugh but please feel free to leave a comment.
Thanks for stopping by and please free to share with others.
Happy New week
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