Bing! Another notification from Instagram pops onto your phone. They like you! They really, really like you! You beam with delight as little hearts flood your feed and it slowly lulls you into a state of complete and utter bliss … for all of about five minutes.
In a culture plagued by the wonders of social media, you’re probably thinking how unimaginable it is to delete your prized accounts. You’ve worked so hard to build a following and would hate to have to start that all over again. You love it when your hotline blings to find that someone wants to be your friend – even if you’ve never met that person in your life. But what does that matter? You’re happy about it, right?
Well, here are five reasons you might want to reevaluate your social media habits.
It doesn’t matter if your Insta pics average 11 likes or 11,000. You love it when strangers like or comment on your pictures. Even if that behavior would be creepy in real life, you love the attention you’re getting, and you never want it to stop. Because of this, it’s easy to forget that the most important opinion about you is your own.
A study conducted by the University of Missouri found that the more time you spend on Facebook or other social media platforms, the more likely you are to be envious of others – their careers, their beauty, their style, their life. This jealousy may cause you to perceive life as unfair since everyone seems to be having “all the fun” without you.
How could you not feel that way when you see your “friends” vacationing in St. Bart’s as you sit on your couch perusing their photo gallery with your cat, who’s licking up the ramen noodles you dropped on the floor? It’s discouraging, but when you’re constantly Insta stalking someone, you tend to forget that people only post the best snippets of their lives. What you’re really seeing is the highlight reel, not the whole package.
Social media is like a haven for stalkers and, sadly, you’re no exception. The big booty Instagram model, your ex, your boyfriend’s ex … the list of people you love to creep on is never-ending. It’s got to stop. On average, millennials spend 30 hours a week on social media.
Your friends are posting about how they feel and letting too many intimate details slip onto everyone’s computer screen. On top of that, the pictures from the night before snaked their way into tagged pictures and you look like Medusa and a drunken Madonna had a baby. The worst part? There’s nothing you can do to stop it. It’s often said that you should think before you speak. Why not think before you post?
People can and will comment whatever they want on your pictures and they don’t always have the nicest things to say. They can see what you ate last month and they think they know who you are because they’ve seen what you’re like on social media. It’s easy for people to judge when they’re hiding behind a computer screen. The key is to not take it all too personally.
While these are all good reasons to get off social media, that doesn’t mean it’s all-bad. You may find businesses, jobs and even friendships on social media that could really help you out in the long run. So, if you’re thinking there’s no way in the world you’re going to delete your accounts, maybe consider scaling back on the sharing just a bit. Your body, mind and soul will thank you.
