Social Media, What's up With it? - LJ1

Social media has its positives and negatives. Personally, I think that limiting the time you spend online is the #1 of using social media. It is also important not to get attached to things. For example, if you find out a lot of personal information about an influencer you might feel like they are your friend. While the sentiment is nice, I think it is important to ensure that it doesn’t evolve into an unhealthy obsession or hurtful attachment. On that note, sharing too much personal information online is dangerous as it can take online threats to the physical world. Additionally, one should monitor who they are talking to online as “catfishes” and threats are commonplace. However, using social media for inspiration, motivation, and good examples of behavior is encouraged. It certainly can help one in a bad mental state or situation. At first, I shared things such as my name and where I lived. 

But I later learned how dangerous that can be, and I changed my behavior. Moreover, I started thinking about how it would reflect on me if an employer saw my social media accounts which encouraged me to more professional behavior. I feel like I have been prioritizing my safety and lessening my trust in anything online which has been beneficial. Nevertheless, if I could go back and tell myself one thing it is how addicting it is. I have spent too much of my life behind a screen and in the past, I wish I would have spent more time outside. However, during this time online I feel that I discovered a lot about myself. I was able to express myself through fashion due to the influences of social media. It taught me it was okay to be different than my peers.

A good example is self-image as I have taken my fair share of selfies. It is positive as I can share with my peers a makeup look or how I feel confident. But, it is also negative as it can cause comparisons with influencers, especially in the age of picture editing apps. The curation of an online image can also be damaging as it forces people into categories. This is seen in the modern “aesthetic.” Many people put themselves into a box and feel guilty straying from that box. I, myself, have been a victim of this in the past, but I have since gotten out of that. Nonetheless, the quantity and diversity of social media is great. But, I do feel that there is an uneven application of many social media applications’ rules. Some content may be censored that does not deserve it. While other content may not be censored when it should be. This is quite a problem due to the number of children who use social media and are impressionable. This can cause life-threatening issues as the age of people getting eating disorders is decreasing. I have struggled with comparing myself a lot to those online, but with time have come to terms with my own self-image. This endless stream of comparisons can cause others to quit. I believe quitting social media is great! I would encourage it, but I also realize how addicting and hard it can be. So, I don’t think I’ll be quitting myself any time soon.