Having a platform on social media is a high of its own.
At the end of the day, Instagram is just a platform for me to show off my blog and my thoughts and its a place where I get to interact with amazing people.
Social media does not control me.
Think about it.
*You get the external validation you crave,
*You can post whatever nonsense you want (and there will be accounts liking it),
*You can verbally abuse people and influencers using anonymous or fake accounts,
*You can stalk your ex friend/partner/person,
*You can invade their space and privacy,
*You can spam anyone from as many accounts as you want
(no matter how many times they block you or politely/savagely inform you that they no longer want your disturbing presence).
Because you, the owner of such a disturbing account, don't have a life, or any other job, outside of disturbing them.
Basically, you can live the life you want and
show your true colors to the world behind your fake account.
(OR)
You could use this medium as a platform to spread your thoughts,
-to spread positivity,
-to spread awareness on important issues,
-to educate people about any topic,
-to share your views,
-to develop yourself
-to evolve as a human and spiritual being.
As a person who loves sharing her thoughts, I was also initially excited to own my own social media account and I built many castles in firm foundation regarding the type of content I would spread.
Some might say that I played it too safe by sticking to the niche of motivational or inspirational quotes and short poetry, but this is exactly my passion and purpose; this is what I feel I am meant to do in this lifetime, which is spreading positivity, motivation, inspiration, love, light and awareness about certain issues and certain types of trauma that I have experienced and learnt from.
In the beginning, I admittedly got hyper excited to share my original thoughts and theories that I got carried away, by posting those words the instant I thought of them.
After some of my lovely friends helped tone down my excitement and taught me about social media etiquette (I had no idea there was such a thing previously- it deserves a post of its own), I did tone it down and reflected on my motivation to be a social media handle owner.
-Yes I wanted to spread positivity and motivation.
-Yes I wanted to gain organic followers and earn recognition.
-Yes I wanted to become famous for my thoughts and words.
But all of this, at what cost? Of course, I don't deny the dopamine rush of instant gratification that I receive every time I get liked for a post, but honestly, all of this at what cost?
I had a life to build, I had a career to take care of, I literally had (and have) my whole life ahead of me.
Quarantine and Corona were not going to last forever!
Hence, feeling deflated, I took the opposite route, and stopped posting, for a week.
That one week "detox" helped me see the matter from a better perspective and I realised some practical things:
1) How much ever original and amazing my posts are, they get attention for pretty much a 10 second span, after which they get drowned out under other such similar posts.
2) I was hardly reaching a few accounts, so although I had maybe impacted those accounts for at least some time, I was just another account; I wasn't anything special in the eyes of Instagram.
3) I am not the only such account on Instagram (this was very difficult to digest at first, because I believed a lot in my uniqueness, but I soon learnt to draw a line between my uniqueness as a person and my uniqueness as an account)
4) It is soooo time consuming!!! (So much that I regretted not spending enough time with my family or even with my own personal development practices, in my excitement!! I, of course, made amends as soon as I realized this)
So, after my "wake up call" so to speak, I started using social media with a lot more awareness.
I started curating the accounts which had posts that would make me laugh, reflect, think deep or help in my personal evolution.
I started unfollowing the accounts that no longer made sense to me. (Instagram thankfully does not show if someone unfollows you... it is kind enough to spare users of that hurt).
I started posting posts that I genuinely believed in (although, there was and is a disparity between the type of content I like and the type of content that most people like, resulting in a lesser number of likes for very worthy content - but this is just a platform where every account has its day, so it is not of much consequence)
Am I an active user and consumer of social media?
Yes. That is by choice.
Have I learnt to have a life outside social media?
I already did have a lovely life outside social media and the detox only helped intensify the strength of the bonds I considered precious to me.
Do I go after the external validation?
I do not consciously go after it, though I do keep checking my account when I have time, to see how much of a reach my post obtained, which usually lasts around a few seconds, after which I go to attend some other more important work. Basically its more of a hobby and less of a priority.
Do I spend a lot of time consuming media?
Yes, yes I do.
As a person who is on a mission to continuously evolve in all spheres, I do consume relevant media that help me a lot in this process.
Do I feel like an entirely different person now?
Oh yes. Every day I spend on social media, every post I view,(Instagram has an amazing algorithm which shows only the content relevant to me, even in advertisements), every comment I make, every post I share, helps me blossom into the next level version of me.
I have made a few new trustable friends who I never would have met, if not for social media.
I have come to the conclusion that celebrities and influencers are actually not idols to be kept on a pedestal but humans who have their own lives.
I have chatted with amazing new people whose inspirational thoughts I keep dwelling on. (definitely not robots or chat bots)
I have been humbled when I saw content and thoughts even more amazing than what I could ever imagine and it shows me that I have so much room to improve (which I love!).
I have realised that the type of content I post is not for everyone, that I won't really get much "likes, shares & comments", that I would be labelled "just another account that won't go many places" and that's okay! I just post stuff I feel good about sharing and that's all that matters.
I love social media, because it helps me peel off any external egoistic layers I have and help me become the most authentic version of me, inside out. I use it in a way that I get such a result.
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| The Onion |
At the end of the day, Instagram is just a platform for me to show off my blog and my thoughts and its a place where I get to interact with amazing people.
I have a lovely life outside social media, with my abundant family, my true and loyal friends and it is a blessed, happy and fortunate life, where social media is just an extension of my random thoughts and a place from which I derive inspiration.
I control my social media.
A pretty awesome goal to achieve, don't you think? :)