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Today, we see the internet woven into every single aspect of our life: whether it’s texting, research, or as a GPS.

What is social media? Many people use it as a platform to interact with people on the internet. However, nowadays it has turned into a place where people choose to showcase the best versions of themselves. They portray a life that, at first glance, looks like they have no flaws, no hardships, a fantastic self image.

As social media giants like Instagram and Twitter take over the playing field, people are being defined more more and more by the numbers displayed on their profiles. If you have Instagram, you are probably guilty of liking your own posts, and getting people to follow you. If it was just friendly competition between friends, it would be okay. But it’s turned into more than competition. It has become a lifestyle. Thousands of people have become “viral” stars, shooting to fame with their vast armies of online followers. “If they can do it, why can’t I?” becomes the popular thought. Next follows, “Am I not pretty enough?” “Why am I not good enough?” Questions like that are inevitable when social media has been designed as a tool of comparison, urging us to dissect our ‘years in reviews’, our ‘years of friendship’ and our album stats.

Social media is supposed to look perfect. Much of what you see on social media is photoshopped, fake, or done by professionals. You’re not expected to be able to compete with them, and that’s okay. Your social media account is for you to share your life with your close ones. Your friends don’t care about your photoshopped thigh gap, or the beautiful places you visit. They care about you as person, not you as a flawless picture.

As a matter of fact, a lot of what you see on social media is not always real. An example of this is the case of a Essena O’neil, a teen instagram ‘star’, who has recently revealed the truth behind her supposedly perfect Instagram photos. In a Buzzfeed article, she states that “she realized she wasn’t living an authentic life.” She reveals the truth behind all her photos, that most of the supposedly candid shots were taken hundreds of times in order to get the perfect body photo. Her message has gone viral over the internet, and encouraged others to take a look outside of social media at the real world.

It’s a cliched message we’ve all heard before: social media has its significant ups, and its downs. But it’s a message we’d all benefit from hearing every now and again, to remind ourselves that the rush of social validation we get when we post photos might not be the most healthy thing for us.

Source

McNeal, S. (2015, Nov. 3). An 18-year-old Instagram Star Says Her “Perfect Life” Was Actually Making Her Miserable. Retrieved March 7, 2016, from http://www.buzzfeed.com/stephaniemcneal/a-teen-instagram-star-is-editing-her-photo-captions-to-show#.hvbR9ojDG

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