Social Media Isn’t Reality

Team OSCIE

Ahva Ghazanfari

Have you ever opened Instagram to be greeted with pictures of all of your friends and role models smiling and happily posing? Ever felt sad because you weren’t the one in those pictures? The one with a “perfect” body, a perfect life, thousands of followers, expensive clothing, and so on? Well here’s an eye-opening truth for you: social media is not real, nor was it ever intended to be.

“Everyone is ‘Prettier’ Than Me!”

First of all, for years on end, hundreds of celebrities and every-day Instagram users have been using apps like FaceTune and Photoshop to manipulate their photos (and even videos, too). With technology and apps like these, anyone can make their waist appear thinner or their thighs smaller with the click of just one or two buttons. Then, after spending a measly minute or two changing their appearance, they can post that photo for the world to see. Here’s the catch though: the world doesn’t know the photo was manipulated, so anyone who comes across it will automatically assume the person in the photo naturally looks the way they do, which is obviously far from the truth.

Why is Everyone on Social Media so Happy?

There’s a simple answer to this question: they probably aren’t all the time! It’s not something to be happy about, but you might find comfort in knowing that your friends and favorite influencers are probably a little sad behind the scenes; you’re not alone. In truth, Instagram is just a highlight reel. To break it down, everyone only posts the happy or fun parts of life; that’s why you never see any non-smiling faces while you’re scrolling through your feed. But no one is ever happy 24/7, and that can be a hard reality to face sometimes. Especially when you’re constantly seeing others who appear to be bubbly and “thriving”. It’s okay to have days where you don’t feel the happiest, and it’s important to have days where you step away from your phone/devices. Admire your own life instead of spending it watching everyone else’s. In fact, here are some ways you can spend a day away from the unreality that is social media:

• Go for a walk outside! Sometimes fresh air is all you need after a long scroll through your feed. It may seem simple, but moving your body in even the slightest way such as walking can make such a difference in your day, and can allow you to connect to reality.
• Do something creative. Spending hours on social media means spending a lot of time without using your brain for something stimulating. You don’t have to be an artist, but create something you know you’ll enjoy, whether that may be a song, a piece of artwork, or a delicious meal.
• Spend time with family. The realness of others around you is important, too. Take time to help them with tasks, tell them you love them, and just spend time with them in general.
• Take a shower! If figuratively cleansing yourself from social media is not enough, you should literally do it. Taking a shower has been proven to help with anxiety, and when you generally just want to calm your nerves after stressing over other people’s lives.

You’ve got this. Remember, social media is not reality. You never know what someone actually looks like or is like until you’ve met them in person. The next time you feel down about yourself after spending some time on social media, step back and take some time for yourself.

Quotes

“The internet is a dangerous place. If you are not careful it will consume you and rob you of your happiness. It can make you angry, jealous, hostile, bitter and lead to the eventual loss of enthusiasm for living your best life. Be wary and avoid overconsumption.”

― Germany Kent

“Pay attention to people, not to your phone.”

― Abhijit Naskar

“One day you will look back and recall all the time you spent on social media and wonder why you didn’t invest that time someplace else.”

― Germany Kent

“Make sure you’re also HAPPY in Real Life and NOT just on Social Media.”

― PK Kasirim

Team O.S.C.I.E

Optimism

Strength

Confidence

Independence

Empathy

We are a group of students who deeply want to help young teenagers find a safe place in their minds. Our goal is to eliminate negative stigmas towards mental health and make it a topic that is thoroughly addressed and becomes normalized for everyone.