I’m a weeeeeeee bit obsessed with social media – though I like to think I don’t let it distract from my life too much – but that’s another story. Anyway, I’m an old fart when it comes to this universe (at 34, I’m practically ancient), and my social media activity has been primarily confined to Facebook and Twitter. Recently, I finally surrendered and started using Instagram more. I’m enjoying it – and I hope I’m able to keep it in perspective.
I think there is a huge danger with Instagram: If you lose sight of what it really means, it can be really bad for your mental health. I’ve written before about how dangerous social media can be for your mental health, but Instagram is the absolute worst. That’s because it forces you to make unrealistic comparisons about your life to others, provides a mere allusion of connectivity (it’s no substitute for the real thing) and can make people feel more depressed.
Almost immediately, I found myself falling into this trap. The recent pictures I uploaded: Me at work in Harrisburg, a awesome ice cream sundae, my son and my dog, etc. Don’t I just have the perfect life? Things not uploaded: Me getting very upset about recent allegations of rape against a colleague. My living room being so messy that I thought a small bomb of dog fur and toys had exploded in it. Me wondering how on earth I would ever pay off my college loans.
And that, in a nutshell, is exactly the problem with social media. I’m very lucky – I have a wonderful life – but it’s not without its problems. And, if you believe most people’s social media, you would be convinced that everyone else is having more fun, success, happiness and love than you. That’s because all of us forget this fundamental truth: Just about everyone uses social media to highlight the best in their life, not the worst.
Despite it, I do love social media. It gives me a chance to communicate with people who I love – and, in my case, who I represent – about what is happening in my life. I’d encourage everyone who uses social media actively to remember this critical fact: It’s not reality, just a highly curated version of it. Everyone uses it to show off the best, ideal version of themselves. Instagram is particularly dangerous at this because we all love pretty pictures and soft filters that make it seem like our lives are perfect.
If you can keep this in mind when you use social media, you’ll be okay.
Mike Schlossberg - Author 