instagram – Josh's Journey

I have a complicated relationship with social media. On one hand, I think it is the worst distraction humanity has ever created, I think it encourages a very superficial view of life, and I think it can seriously distort a person’s perspective on themselves and everything around them. On the other hand, I think it is the most valuable marketing tool in existence.

For a film and video major who is trying to grow his online presence, this probably seems like a poor decision. Social media is the best way for me to gain recognition and get my work out there, so shouldn’t I be using it actively?

The short answer is yes, but only if I can avoid the consequences.

There are only a few ways to advertise my videos, and social media is without a doubt the most effective one. I can send out my work for free to a large audience, and that audience can subsequently spread the video to an even larger audience. If I want to promote my own image or a brand’s, social media can help me do that too. Studying it can also help with identifying who your main customers are, which is invaluable to any business.

With all of that in mind, it is obvious that avoiding social media in my professional life would be a mistake. But when it comes to my personal life, I think avoidance is the best policy.

The first problem I have with social media is that it is such a powerful distraction. I frequently find myself on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms with no good reason to be there, and I end up scrolling and scrolling, wasting lots of precious time that I could spend doing much more productive things.

Next, it skews my view of the world. When you see a post on social media describing some story, you don’t get the full narrative. You get a headline, and unless you then decide to research the topic with perspectives from multiple sources, the meaning you take from that headline ends up being the final meaning. It might not be accurate, it might not be true, it might be overly pessimistic, but either way, that is the meaning that you take. Ultimately, you just end up with a half-baked meaning that keeps you from seeing the world as it actually is.

You also don’t get the full story about the individuals posting on social media. They may post a happy photo of them living their perfect life, but the reality might be that they aren’t actually that happy, and they have just as many problems as you do. You, however, don’t know that, so you may just assume that they have it better than you. The same happens if your posts aren’t getting as many likes as other people’s. You can start to judge yourself as a person based on that, but it doesn’t reflect the real you, it just reflects the online, superficial you. This can make you feel like you are lesser, and I just don’t think it is healthy for the psyche.

There are probably more reasons than just these, but these are the ones that I think are the most detrimental. But as I mentioned before, I have no intention of stopping my social media use. So how will I keep using social media without all the bad stuff, and how can you do the same?

Separate ‘Me’ from ‘Social Media Me’

Social media is the most dangerous when you have your identity wrapped up in it. If you can separate yourself so that you don’t judge your personal value based on the number of likes you get, then you won’t walk away feeling dejected when you use social media. You are a different person on social media than you are in real life. Don’t compare the two. Don’t judge one based off the other. Obviously it is your social media and you should try to be genuine, but succeeding on social media requires a very different set of skills than succeeding in real life. It’s the same for everyone else, so don’t let it be your judge.

Use It When You Need To

Just getting on social media for a quick shot of happiness is fine, but it is easy to abuse. Limit your use to when you are ready to post, or analyzing, or liking some posts to get other people more interested in your stuff. The point is, have a purpose. Don’t scroll aimlessly, because that just brings you closer to all of the negatives.

So there you go, that’s what I think of social media. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think, and keep on your toes for next weeks post!