In my previous line of work, I took selfies wearing make up. That’s a rather obvious part of working within the beauty industry selling cosmetics online.
So my phone was full (5,000+ pics) of selfies.
Not my pets.
Not my children.
Not my husband.
Not even my food!
Selfies.
With the rise of social media, and this weird obsession with having followers and likes and comments on our social media pages, I can’t help but take a step back and look at this as a train wreck waiting to happen.
Yet maybe; that train wreck is already here.
There has been a lot of talk about the safety and effects of social media on our children, but what about us adults?
If studies have found that “Facebook Depression” is a legitimate condition. That checking our Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat accounts is actually becoming an addiction, how might this affect our self-image? Our relationships? Or our daily lives?
Once upon a time, you could go out to a party and the next day call in sick at work without your boss saying “I saw you on Facebook partying at 2am! Get your butt in here!”
Or when you needed to vent your feelings and rant about what a jerk your boyfriend is, you would write in a journal.
Yes. With no likes or comments to go back and look for. Just simple words written on a piece of paper. Fancy that?
Now, it appears that Facebook is full of dirty laundry, political debates, rants, sob-stories, fanatical views and everyone’s favourite – fake news!
Not only that, people screenshot private conversations and post them publicly. People share dashcam footage of scandalous driving or social behaviour. It’s like the old days where the villagers would go out with their pitchforks forming a mob to get the “bad guy”.
And don’t get me started on bullying and “trolls”.
Is this really the world we want to create for our posterity? Do we really want to be the generation that is noted down in the history books as “self-centred, compulsive, entitled and condemning.”
I am using my soap box, to declare that no! This is not what I want my kids to grow up and participate in!
Lets use Social Media to be a voice of reason, a voice of love and compassion, a voice of humour and truth!
I make a promise to strip back to basics. Showing the world my true self. I am motivated by making others (that’s you, reader) feel pretty darn good. Whether it be through laughter, enlightenment, excitement over a new idea or challenge, entertained by my failures and bizzare look at the world.
Or sometimes, I just want my readers to take a minute to stop and think. And ponder what ways they can use Social Media to better their own lives while enriching others’.
Because THAT is what social media should be all about. It should be about bringing people together and helping one another find happiness.
Its not all about You!
Love
Laura
xoxox
I don’t think you’re alone in feeling like social media has lost its way. I love the people I’ve met, the help I’ve received and given, the ideas and inspiration. It can be wonderful and enlightening but time consuming and negative.
Thank you for your post.