by By Daniel Pouch
An idea rather than a demand.
We use social media day in and day out. For work, play, and everything in between. From all sides of use we tend to see a positive outcome. However, I noticed that apps like instagram control our lives, our emotions and our decision making. Speaking from experience, I have seen and felt the malicious effects of social media. All too often I catch myself posting content based on what other people will think of it and how it will be judged. It has been made known to me that I am not alone in this endeavor to protect my ego.
The famous Canadian recording artist, Drake, provides his view on the false happiness that instagram use provides us, in his song “Emotionless”. The lyrics speak for themselves:
“I know a girl whose one goal was to visit Rome
Then she finally got to Rome
And all she did was post pictures for people at home
‘Cause all that mattered was impressin’ everybody she’s known
I know another girl that’s cryin’ out for help
But her latest caption is “Leave me alone”
I know a girl happily married ’til she puts down her phone
I know a girl that saves pictures from places she’s flown
To post later and make it look like she still on the go”
Those lyrics speak to me and millions of users like me because we have seen all of those situations in action. In a high school or college setting, this can be a dangerous game. Instagram is the cause of cyberbullying, depression and all sorts of mental health issues that come from a lack of self confidence and not being content with the life that we live. I find myself worrying about others’ opinions on my life way more than I should. I am a person who will claim that “I don’t care what others think about me”, while that is true in many forms, it is false due to the fact that I still base my instagram posts off my look and follower response. Let me be the first to admit that I let this app and many like it control how I think and feel.
Some people are fine with this and don’t see it as a problem. That is okay. Everyone has an opinion. Not to worry, there is a solution.
Delete your instagram.
Just the app. It doesn’t have to be permanent, 24 hours is a start. I deleted mine for a week or so over the summer of 2020 when I was in Los Angeles during the riots and it was the best decision I ever made. Unfortunately I work in a field called “marketing”, where lack of social media is not an option. After just a few days without the virus that we call a social media platform, you notice that it is somewhat irrelevant and distracting. Not only is it a distraction from self confidence but also from the constant scrolling and searching that takes so much time out of our day. I follow one thousand people on instagram and I realize that I truly do not care what ~950 of them are up to – and I know a lot of you can relate.
Instagram has more benefits than you can count, but it also hurts the user. Find out what truly makes you happy and how you can use the app to your advantage. Mental health will forever be more important than social media.
This was such an insightful read and your headline really grabbed my attention. I think social media detoxes are something that should become more common. I find that social media obsessed individuals are not fun to be around. I get angry when phones are constantly out. While there are obviously some benefits to social media, it certainly does not need to be something you interact with daily. I wonder if in the future it will become common to take social media breaks!
I’m impressed that you incorporated a contemporary song to relate to a contemporary problem. It makes me stop and think about my usage and how I don’t need to spend so much time on those apps. It makes it hard when your industry relies on social media. Hopefully, we can find a balance.
I really like this article. Social media is the reason behind so many of our actions. I just thought through everything I do and came to realize that most moves I make comes along with the thought of documenting it for a post. Additionally, what we see of other people online is for the most part not an accurate representation of how their life actually is and we compare ourselves to that. I have tried to do social media detoxes before too and it is definitely difficult because of our field. I struggle with believing I will ever be able to delete my accounts forever because I think it is important to stay up to speed with the world. However, it is highly beneficial to do a good social media detox every once in awhile for your mental health.
I really enjoyed reading this post. I used to always catch myself tailoring my content to what I thought other people would want to see, rather than what I actually wanted to post. But I’ve worked on trying to change that mindset and posting things for myself. It’s made Instagram a better place to be on. I recently also went through everyone I was following and “detoxed” from people that were no longer relevant in my life or that I just didn’t feel I needed to follow anymore. It’s really helped. I wish I could delete the app altogether, but in the marketing and PR industries, social media is becoming more and more important so it’s hard to do that. Thanks for the insightful post!
I think you did a great job talking about how social media actually effects all of us as humans. I feel like most of us go on social media to get recognition from others, when in reality it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. I struggle with staying off of Instagram and other social media as I feel like it is part of me. Although we see benefits to using social media such as social campaigns and more, it’s unhealthy at the end of the day due to how much time we spend on it.
I really enjoyed reading this. It was nice getting a refresher from Drake about how social media is all about image. I remember when Instagram was just a simple platform to post pictures you thought were cool. Now its spiraled out of control. I’ve actually been considering deleting all of my personal accounts to help reduce my screen time, and this article just helps persuade me more.
I was spending way too much time watching fun videos on social media… so I deleted it all for over 3 months! I eventually got it back because… well, here I am in this class so I definitely need social media. I definitely think that too much social media starts to affect my moods.
This blog post is very interesting and your title was very eye-catching! We are so oversaturated with social media and Instagram in particular that it sucks a lot of the life out of living. We have become overly concerned with our content online that is takes away from our experiences in the real world. You are also right in that because we have chosen careers in marketing, social media has become impossible to get away from.
This headline and article really reminded me of Dove’s campaign to get rid of social media likes. I really do love seeing what people post on social media, that is to say I do really get a sense of fomo or insecurity about the way I look or what I wear. Needless to say that likes are something that if you took it away, it would redefine social media and they hierarchy is creates with likes
Drake lives an extraordinary lifestyle. I don’t think we can compare ourselves to his highness. If we had similar clout and social media following, maybe we would feel the same. Until then, say hello to our echo chambers and childhood friends!
Hi Daniel!
I applaud you for your catchy title that instantly intrigued me. I agree that I have noticed my intent on Instagram is to post something that others will like rather than just posting it because I enjoy it myself and its something I still struggle with as I only post on Instagram once or twice a years as a fear that most of my stuff isn’t interesting to other people but I have to learn to get past that as its my Instagram page and if I like something I should just post it.
Daniel,
I really like this. I think you make a great point when you say that many people post just for the approval of others. I think it can have negative effects for sure, but also believe it can be used in a more positive light.
Instagram is definitely a problematic but also extremely useful app. Depending on what your career and interests are it definitely can play an important role in the ways in which you communicate or conduct business. While the negative aspects of Instagram are quite profound it also has been extremely influential and has created a new way in which people can communicate with others. Deleting the app can offer some beneficial aspects to one’s life, but having an account is sometimes vital for communication between different groups of people.
I loved this article!!! As someone who spent way too much time on social media, I really resonated with this. Having said this, over the summer I deleted the Instagram app from my phone for 2 months and it made me feel so much better! Once returning to school, I did re-download the app; however, following graduation I may delete it again. Thank you for this again!
Hi Daniel. I really enjoyed reading your post, I found it very relatable. I see the struggles that has come from insecurity and self confidence that instagram has set on society. Society has set standards that make people post their best and happiest moments that create a false reality.
I am blown away with your post. One because the lyrics you quoted is the lyrics I’ve been reference since me doing my WR 121 paper, I even responded to another post where I was talking about my paper. Your lyric usage shows an embodiment of what is a common misconception that occurs on social media. People live in microscope worlds where the want people to believe their life that the present on social media.
I really enjoyed this post! I agree with how distracting social media can be and the harmful effects it can cause. I like how you bring up mental health because I feel like it’s easy to prioritize and keep up with your life on social media rather than yourself.