- She is so slim. And I’m such a fatso!
- She is only 19 and has already travelled so much. What am I doing? My life is such a waste!
- Hey, 2 likes, nice! Do I like this photo? Does she really need more likes? Did she ever like any of my photos?
- Wow, Emily is getting married. Would she invite me in her wedding?
Which is the real “YOU”?
How much does the pictures that you post in your Facebook or Instagram, represents your true self, your real life?
- Do you wear make up all the time?
- Do you always keep your house that clean and tidy?
- Do you try new cuisines in new restaurants every day?
- How many times have you gone to Bangkok or Malaysia?
That’s the point. People tend to compare themselves with the person based on the picture of the single ride in that Cable Car. Are you any different? This constant comparison causes you, and probably most people, to think they’re a failure, making them hopeless, depressed and envious!
Who are YOU for?
There’s probably no one who didn’t feel bad for not getting any “likes” after posting something on Facebook or Instagram. You surely know someone or you are someone that has taken down a photo because it didn’t get as many likes as it was expected to! Or someone who repeatedly checks for new notifications or counts likes!
Now tell me something, why do we have to always take a selfie and post it on Facebook on the right time? What’s the point? Or take as much as 300 pictures for the perfect selfie. What is this madness? Were we ever like this?
All these behavior points at only one thing. We have given the right to determine our value, our importance, to the number of likes, comments and shares of a social media post! We judge our self-worth, our potential based on the number of followers we get.
What would you Miss Out?
How would I stay updated without Facebook? How would I keep in touch with my friends? How would I get daily news of the country or the world? How would I keep the political updates? These thoughts do hover in our minds, when we think of closing the social media accounts- the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO).
Take some time and think, did social media help increase your friends! A Gallup poll taken in 2001 on Americans stated, that every American had 10 really close friends, on average. The same poll performed in 2014 said that the number of friends per American reduced to 2, on average. That says, there are only two people they can truly trust, with whom they can actually share their problems. Then what? Where did those thousands of friends and followers go?
Do you even know them?
Who are the friends in the social media? Do you even know them? How much can you know about those so-called friends from the highly edited photos and their likes on your pictures? Or, is there any true reason to be as much excited as you are to find a very old friend or acquaintance through Facebook- as, again, your communication is limited to that Facebook page or inbox.
Yet, you are ignoring all those real people in your life who actually love you, who actually care about you, for those virtual unreal friends. You are ignoring those who take care of you when you get sick, pray for your wellbeing, and stand by your side, no matter what- for those artificial plastics!
Do you really Need the news or updates?
It is true that you get the latest news and updates throughout the world, and also the political news- in no time. But have you ever thought, why exactly you need those information? Are you going to help those children suffering in the war in Syria? Or is there anything you can do in shootout in Florida? Not really! All you would do is discuss about it, upset yourself and others and then forget about it; which won’t bring any good to anyone. Besides, most of the news are mixed with such lies to spice it up, that you can’t even separate the truth from the lies. So, you’d probably lose nothing but some spiced up gossip, hoaxes and memes.
Like the American Scientist Dr. Cal Newport. When Facebook just began to expand outside Harvard, Newport was a sophomore. He had a dorm room business, which he had to shut down for the losses. Then, after some days, Mark Zuckerberg, from Harvard University, had this product called Facebook and people were excited about it. Out of a bit of immature professional jealousy, he decided not to create an account and let Facebook succeed. And now he considers that that was his best decision ever.
Dr. Newport is a successful scientist, a professor and a writer of 5 bestsellers at such a young age. He is such an expert in his subject, that he gives lectures and conducts seminars in various institutes of America as well as around the world. But if you think he is running a very busy schedule, he doesn’t even have enough time- you are wrong. He hardly has to work after 5 pm, i.e. he works for the 8 hours like every ordinary person and earns his success. But, since those 8 hours are completely unaffected by the ‘social media ’ he can give his total attention to his real work, leading a very peaceful life. He doesn’t watch television, but listens to baseball games on the radio. He plays with his children after returning home, and works on his book, after they are off to sleep.
Moreover, the people who played a part in increasing the popularity of Facebook, are also regretful of their deed. After getting rid of it themselves, they are calling for the youth to release themselves from this dreadful addiction.
Chamath Palihapitiya, who previously served as the executive of Facebook and responsible for user growth, isn’t an active user, himself. He said, ‘I think we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works. No civil discourse, no cooperation, misinformation, mistruth- all due to social media. And this is not affecting only America or Russia but the whole world. And the only possible solution is stop using it. I just don't use these tools anymore, I haven't for years. If you look at my Facebook feed, I probably posted two times in the last seven years. Because I believe this is rusting our society, our societal foundation, pretty badly.”
So! What did you decide! Do you still want to keep using it and drain yourself in the world of pain, anxiety and frustration? Or come out of there and lead a happy and peaceful life?
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