The Plague

I have definitely discussed this topic before on my social media platforms and it has been an ongoing topic of conversation that just seems to keep getting worse by the minute. Social media has definitely evolved into a realm that blurs the lines of reality and fantasy. Like the happily ever after movies we grew up with, where everything is painted in perfect colors and the lead character always comes out victorious, social media replicates that same illusion; might I actually say DELUSION. We are stuck every day behind a screen, vicariously living through the perfect world of those who we follow. Perfect lives, perfect families, perfect bodies, flawless faces and husbands/boyfriends who always send their significant other ten dozen long stemmed roses. Before we know it, hours have passed, and we are entirely lost in someone’s “perfect” make belief life, comparing it with our own REAL life, and depressing over our mishaps. Sound familiar? Well I sure am guilty of falling victim to this more times than I would like to admit, I mean who hasn’t? And if you say “not me” then you are one among none.

I like to refer to this issue as “the plague” because it really is contagious and it is definitely spreading through our generation. Everywhere I look, from toddlers to seniors, people are always on their phone, involved in some form of social media outlet. Human communication has disappeared, as the hours spent on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. take up most of our time, whether we are on a date, at work or in the bathroom. To think that we spend so much of our day on these platforms that are fabricated is actually pretty disturbing. We miss out on our real lives, because we are too busy admiring or longing for someone else’s reality that doesn’t exist. It is a controlled environment, where Facetune and Photoshop play tricks on our minds, making us feel as though we are less than acceptable since we don’t look like the images we are bombarded with.

My social media platform may be considered big to some and nonexistent to others with over a million followers. But however big or small, I hope to always put out a positive message and empower others rather than to belittle them. We are all guilty of altering our pictures to put out the best “image” for our page, and pick and choose which photo captured our best angle out of thirty others that just didn’t look right. So with that being said, no one posts their failures and no one posts their arguments with their spouse or hardships in their life on social media. Think of it as a happy place, where people fantasize how they would want their life to actually be and they post snippets of moments that replicate the lifestyle they long for. Don’t take it so serious, because IT IS NOT REAL LIFE. So the next time you catch yourself trapped in the social media space, remind yourself that what you are looking at are simply moments captured that had the INTENT of being captured, to then be altered, filtered and published very strategically in order to portray a life that someone imagined having. Now smile, because you are beautiful and your life is beautiful just as it is!