The Problems with Social Media

Hey there friends! I hope you're all having a great start to your week. I hope you all enjoyed last weeks Tiny Talk on Being Present. I really enjoyed chatting with all of you through our FB group and Instagram Live last week! Apologies on being a few days late with this one...time just got away from me this weekend! I'm back again this week though with another edition of Tiny Talks and this time we're going to be talking about the problems with social media. While social media can be really great, it comes with it's downfalls. I obviously love social media so much and can't picture my life without it, but is that a problem? It might be...

It's Addictive

Social media is so addictive. Literally. We get addicted to constantly checking it. We crave that little red number to pop up on Instagram. Did you know that when you log on to Instagram or Facebook and you get those notification numbers that dopamine is actually released in your brain from them? It's true...and that is why it's so addictive. We crave that hormone release and social media is an easy way to get it. But like everything else it slowly loses its effect and you need it more and more often, which is so bad for us. We really need to do our best to control our usage for many reasons but our own health is literally one of them.

Comparison

We all compare ourselves to each other...we can't help it, it's human nature. Social media makes this 1000x easier to do and that is so unhealthy. I know I look all over Instagram and find so much inspiration but at the same time you can't help but wonder how these peoples lives can be so perfect? And then you wonder why your life can't be like that? Well I'm here to tell you that you're awesome and to stop doing this. No one's life is perfect and trust me, you're missing so much of the picture in those little squares that you see on Instagram. So next time you're feeling low while scrolling, stop, kill the app, and then think of one reason why you're life is so amazing.

It's Fake

Spring boarded off the comparison point, social media is so fake. We all put up what we want others to see...not the whole picture. I confess that I pick and choose what I want you all to see even. I try my hardest to be real and raw as much as possible but sometimes I have to be transparent for one reason or another. For me personally, I'm not trying to hide anything but for my family's privacy sometimes I can't tell the whole story. It's that way with everyone else out on social media, too. So while it may be depressing that our lives aren't as perfect as these big time bloggers or influencers that are out there, just remember that it's not REAL. You can't even be 100% on the internet, especially through a little picture/caption or a status post on Facebook.

The Damn Algorithm

Yes of course I have to address the stupid Instagram algorithm. It sucks, it really really does. If you don't like 1 of my photos then you will start seeing less and less of them. This is really hard when you're trying to gain your following or your livelihood depends on it (thank goodness this is not the case for me). I know likes and follows don't matter but if you are trying to make money off of social media it got a whole lot harder thanks to this addition to Instagram.

So Much PRESSURE

Social media comes with a lot of pressure. This kind of goes hand in hand with the algorithm bit. There's so much pressure to have the perfect photo, the perfect theme, the perfect Instagram page. If people go to your Instagram and they don't think your grid looks pretty they do a hard pass on you. This makes me so sad. There are so many people out there who do put up amazing content that is so inspiring or informative but may not have those photography skills or editing skills to make their Instagram look perfect. I know for me personally, if I don't have a really great photo to post, I just don't post. I constantly feel pressure to post perfect photos and follow my Instagram strategy (if you want to know what this is I can do a post on it in the future). This is all so silly though and I know that. It frustrates me that I feel this way because it is my space, my photos, my way of looking back on life and how amazing it is. But because of the pressure I don't post those non-perfect photos anymore. Thankfully though I have this space to post all those amazing candids of my family and I can look back on all the amazing memories here!

Trolls...

Gotta love a good troll. They're everywhere these days, just lurking in the corner, waiting to come out and ruin your day. Seriously though, what is it with these people? Why does putting someone else down make them feel better? I know for me, if I were to make someone else's day worse it would make my day worse! Unfortunately though they are out there and we just have to deal with them. It's hard to shake them off when the comments roll in but we have to. Always try to be the bigger person and kill them with kindness....they obviously need some kindness in their life if they feel the need to bring others down through a screen!

How do you all feel about social media? Do you love it? Do you hate it? What is one thing you think we can do to improve the culture around social media these days? Tune in to my Instagram Live today at 1 PM CST to discuss all of this with me! I have the day off of work today and while I know many of you don't don't worry...the talk will be available on my Instagram for 24 hours! You can also join in on the conversation in the Tiny Tribe group on Facebook. Talk to you all later!