It’s gotten to the point in my life where I hate social media more and more every day. I wish that my business and future business were not so reliant on having social media. It has become the Mean Girls cesspool. It has become where all true FAKE NEWS comes from. It’s exhausting to keep up with the crap that you read every day on there. People are either showing off (and maybe even faking it for likes) their latest whatever or they are vomiting emotionally and what they really need is a good therapist and possibly some Lithium. I think social media has also stunted our ability to have authentic relationships with others and has certainly retarded our ability to interact with people in a meaningful way. Let’s dive in shall we?
People’s mental health issues become so apparent on social media. I have seen so many people go on there and say things like “Why doesn’t anyone want me?” or “Why can’t I find a good date in NYC?” Honey, maybe some of these things happening is caused by the fact that you are putting that energy out there. You don’t have to advertise every relationship or hook-up failure on social media. You know what happens then? People like me will stalk your social media and decide not to date you. When I meet someone new and chat about dating and their social media is hooked up to whatever app we met on, you best believe I am going on there to see what they are posting. You can dodge so many bullets this way cuz people can be quite cray. Or - fake news wise, they make these posts to get attention, which really speaks to another set of mental health issues.
Conversely, folks will post carefully staged and/or photoshopped pictures of themselves so as to promote/sell/advertise something which may not be true at all. People post on social media what they want you to see, not what is happening in reality. The danger of this is not the falsity of their posts but then folks see these posts and measure their worth as a person against the fakeness and then feel bad about themselves as a result. Appearance can be quite deceiving. Social media allows for the poster to change and manipulate their posts to their hearts desire. Over time, they perfect their method so good that they can do so in the blink of an eye.
People with huge followings will use social media to gaslight you. Please Google gaslighting right now before you continue reading. If you are in a position of power, whatever that power may be, to convince you that what they are saying is right. It’s basically a psychological beat down. Don’t believe everything you read on social media folks.
Now some tips to survive this: Don’t look at social media for a least 30 minutes after you wake up. Our minds are the most susceptible to information immediately after waking. Have yourself some room temperature lemon water and breathe for a while. Journal if you must but do not reach for your phone or computer. If you see someone pushing an agenda too strongly, question it. Research it. Find people you trust who may know more about it and see what others have to say. And by others, live people not folks commenting on said person’s post. If it is too primped of a post, know that there may be some deception involved. Don’t be afraid to question what you see on social media. And lastly, run from the emotional vomiters. No explanation or other suggestions - just run.