Social Media Unfiltered

Social Media is a double edged sword. Rather than taking advantage, we are falling into the vicious trap of social media. Our phones are the first thing we see in the morning and the last thing before sleeping. Its impact on our mental and physical health is tremendous. Rather than using social media as a tool we are becoming its tool. How to unfilter the filtered life?

I went to a party recently and saw people sitting on the tables together but mindlessly scrolling on their phones. I saw a boy and a girl taking pictures and heard them saying, "Let's click pictures using a filter. I do not like clicking them without filters, they will hide my pimples and scars. I will look more beautiful". I see two more girls reading comments on their pictures and counting the number of likes. A 16 year old boy saw pictures of his friend at the party and started saying, "Oh I missed such a great party." Then I realised how doomed we are. Germany Kent's words, "If you are on social media and you are not learning, not laughing, not being inspired or not networking then you are using it wrong." struck me hard that day.

This is exactly what is happening with us. We are becoming slaves at the hands of social media. Mindless scrolling and keeping a check on followers has become the new normal. We have become so used to project our lives as perfect on social media, clicking filtered and aesthetic pictures, posting every single update of our life that we are being disconnected from the real world. It is as if we all are wearing a mask on social media, trying to hide our flaws, trying to be someone we are not. We see pictures of some couples and start comparing our relationship with theirs, we see pictures of a model and start comparing our bodies with theirs, we see some people posting pictures of delicious food, beautiful restaurants, hanging out at apparently cool places, we feel that we have missed out on having fun. But we often forget that grass is always greener on the other side. Appearances are deceptive, the pictures tell us only half truth or sometimes no truth at all. Posting happy pictures does not mean that we are actually happy or living the greatest life. The number of likes is not equivalent to our self worth. We are much more than that.

The line between reel and real is erasing. It is giving rise to low self esteem, longing for likes and validation which in turn leaves us frustrated. We hold unrealistic standards about how we should look and feel even worse about ourselves. We are trying to find an idealized version of love and when we see others' pictures we wish we had it too.

A survey, conducted on 1,244 women, between the ages of 15 and 65, across 20 Indian cities including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai, found that 76 per cent believe media portrayals of beauty contribute to body shaming. Again, 89 per cent women reported feeling uncomfortable about their own selves when they read comments on social media about other people’s appearances. If a person is ignored on social media and does not get likes and comments on a post, can feel sad, irritated, and even anxious,” stresses Dr Satish Kumar CR, consultant-clinical psychology, Manipal Hospital.

Teenagers feel the urge to become viral sensations after seeing social media influencers. They start living in a world of fantasy and even start imitating them mindlessly. And if they do not get enough likes they start doubting themselves. We are being addicted to social media without even realising it.

It is not about whether social media is good or bad for us. It is more about being conscious users of social media. It gives voice to voiceless people, helps us connect more. It too has its own advantages but only if it is used with the right mindset. Having no good pictures doesn't mean that we had a bad day. There is nothing wrong in posting our pictures but attaching our self worth with it is the problem. Living the moment, seizing every opportunity which life throws at us is important. It has tremendous capacity to create an impact only if we use it with the right mindset.

A simple way to cope is to set realistic limits on how much time you want to spend on social media. Balance your time on social media with real interactions. Do not check it as the first thing in the morning and in the middle of night and whenever feeling bored. Try to keep the phone away, especially at night while sleeping. It is high time that we start realising that there is a world beyond social media. The REAL world.

Let us stop technology from exceeding our humanity. In Dave Willis' words, " Do not use social media to impress people, use it to impact people."

Further Readings-

1. Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

2. Harmful Effects Of Social Media