I Like What I See
And then I hate it.
Every day, one goes to a part of the internet where you can be completely open and frank about yourself. A place where you can feel cosy and cared for. A place of delight and support. A network of the people closest to you, to share secrets with, enjoy achievements with, for asking help in pain, to have fun and to share memes with.
Social Media, ironically does so little of all this. It is a pretty radical idea even though it is probably as old as the bible for us. But deep down, the idea is still cool enough.
A simple website where you add some coveted people in a closed network to share stuff with. You can talk to them directly, by chat or video. You can see what they are doing. And probably if you are lucky, to meet some complete strangers that may become your friends later.
You never need to step out of your house ever again. It’s all in there, in a sweet little website, just a click away. But of course, as with everything on the internet, it is never just that.
Companies got too ambitious and carried away with profits and bombarded all of us with an array of features and then more bloating features. And if that was not enough, they made an algorithm so evil, that first it makes you an addict and then just as smoothly converts you into a depressed moron. They played well.
There are a lot of bad effects of social media on us. Apart from gross time waste and a complete distraction, social media sites of today are little else. And even if you find a site bearable enough and above that useful enough to stay close to friends in a meaningful manner, you fall into another pit — Comparison.
Like an excited child, you go and look at what others are doing with their lives and as you scroll down their feeds, you think that they are the happiest people in the world right now. Like everyone is having the time of their lives and just you, you are the one sitting there like a duck. You compare how you are not as good looking as them, as intelligent as them, as successful as them, as adventurous as them, etc etc. You feel bad about yourself. You feel jealous, angry and frustrated.
But what one must do in such situations is to first look closely. More often than not, behind the facade of the internet are people with poor brains and the wrong attitude. People who post stuff just to impress people. Such are the times that they can even harm themselves, just to get some likes. You feel bad by seeing them but the truth is that they have it worst when it comes to the situation. It seems people are happy enough to troll themselves in their own life.
And then there are good people too. Honest and hard-working people who put their days and nights in their passion. They keep balance in life and share their joyful moments with people that they care about. They don’t use social media, they leverage it. And so you must not feel anger about such people. Never get even a hint of jealousy in your heart. These are the people you must learn from. Don’t get hurt by their achievements but instead ask them how they did it. If you can’t ask, ask politely. Talk to them and see how they are doing what they are doing. And then steal. Steal shamelessly.
You have two ways to interact with the social world around you. One that gives you nothing but negative emotions and the second that gives you the motivation to do better. You can choose to see in this world, things that bring you down or you can choose to see the things that propel you forward.
And the next time you see someone boasting or showing off on social media, try asking them how they did it. If they can’t tell, you know how to block them. But if they are ready to share, wish them well and say you want to learn more from them. And if you are not able to reach out to them, follow them. Follow what they do and you’ll get a trail of rich resources. And don’t forget to like their updates or follow them to your own success.
