Ahh, social media. The pics, the likes, the updates. It's all shoved into our faces every single moment we decide to log onto our social media accounts. It has become a major part of our culture and is known as the culture that perpetuates the notion to be seen, heard, recognized, and ultimately, validated. I'll admit it, I enjoy social media at times and who doesn't. I would be a complete fake if I sat here and wrote this article without expressing the fact that I post pics of myself, awesome pics, and construct my social media pages in the best way possible.
That's what it is for. Social media is meant to highlight the best of the best, the glam and the happenings. Of course there will be occasional posts that are sad and draw the attention of fellow social media users, or stories that perhaps captivate us at the heart.
There are posts begging others to sympathize in the midst of a lost loved one, and posts that rant and rave about how awful the day is going. However, for the most part, we post the good. We post the good so that we can of course showcase how proud we are of ourselves and what we may have accomplished, but we also showcase the good for appraisal. It's just how it works. However, what can also happen in the midst of our social media craze, is the need to compare ourselves to other people, appear perfect at all times, and because what we wish to share is only a click away, we voice our opinions sometimes without truly thinking. For me, I have caught myself getting distracted by the lives of other people and have definitely posted without thinking, posted too much, and have succumbed to the pressures to be perfect. So, I take breaks. I truly try and tap into what it means to be human outside of this technologically crazed generation, and try and tap back into my life beyond the likes and posts. I take breaks so I can redefine who I am again. I take breaks because it's tiring to constantly be technologically charged and emotionally drained. I take breaks, because I am often a different person outside of social media. I am not saying we should not showcase our best selves and share our moments with others, but what I am saying is that time spent to be human and really re-evaluate our lives is necessary for our sanity.
