A Necessary Evil…But is it Evil?

I didn’t grow up with social media. I opened my first Facebook account towards the end of high-school and my first Instagram account after college, when I was about 22. Social media has never really been “my thing”. In the last few years though, I have found myself being pulled into the social media orbit more and more. I have mixed emotions about this. 

Social media provides me with a way to connect with friends (albeit sometimes superficially) across the world, to gain inspiration from a wide variety of influencers, and – most importantly for me at present – to share my blog with those who are interested in what I have to say. 

These are some of the many benefits of Instagram – connection, inspiration and a creative outlet. However, I don’t always use Instagram in a way that promotes said benefits. When not engaging with awareness, I can realize 20 minutes have passed and I am now deep into an Instagram “rabbit hole” that has left me feeling disconnected, uninspired and creatively blocked. 

When I mindlessly scroll – perhaps as I am sitting and waiting for some less desirable task to reach its finale – I can observe my own sensations growing ever more dulled; the passing posts and stories flicker before me but I am not taking any of it in. I am passively staring into a screen with no end goal in sight.  

There are also those times when I find myself on the page of an influencer who looks amazing and produces fabulous content. This tempts me into comparison, entertaining thoughts such as, “Why even bother to put out a blog, or attempt to build a brand? You will never be able to compete with that.” 

Sometimes a stint on Instagram will leave me feeling bad about my body, my lack of exciting travels or, really, my current life situation. Can you relate? 

This isn’t really Instagram’s fault though. I have to take responsibility for the awareness I bring to my interactions with the app. That is why I think it imperative to pause every so often and ask oneself, “How do I feel after I spend time on my social media platforms? What is it that I gain from my time on Instagram? How is Instagram detracting from my overall wellbeing/quality of life?” 

I am thankful to have a partner who also enjoys the process of reflection. Recently, Daniel and I had a conversation about how we desire to use our time on Instagram as a creative outlet and source of connection – not as a source of distraction, a means of numbing from discomfort, or a vehicle for comparison. Avoiding those pitfalls and using Instagram intentionally requires an awareness behind our choice to open up and engage with the app. 

For me, my blog is a creative outlet and Instagram serves as a springboard for me to share this with a large audience. Additionally, I use Instagram to find recipe or workout inspiration, to gather French language tips, and to read inspirational words from writers whom I admire. In terms of connection, I love to invest a set amount of time each day into viewing posts and stories of my friends. When used in this way, Instagram becomes a healthy component of my social and creative life. Discipline is required though – note how I wrote “a set amount of time”. I want to stay connected, but not at the cost of missing out on my own life happening outside the screen. 

I hear so many friends complain of wasted time on social media, or of their own partners opening up the app to scroll while in the middle of a conversation with them. I hear the frustration and disappointment in their voice, and I have felt it too. When used in such a way, social media certainly has the potential to detract from our life. But this doesn’t mean we must stop using it all together, deleting the app for good (though if you want to do that, then obviously go for it ♥). Instead, we can work to bring more consciousness to how and when we engage with the app.

To do this, I suggest you ask yourself a few questions and really take the time to consider your answers: 

• How do you feel both during and after your time on social media? 
• What is it that you like about social media? What value does it add to your life?
• What is it that you dislike about social media? How does it detract from your life? 
• How can you bring more awareness to your interactions with social media so as to allow for it to have a positive impact on your life?

Out of a need to feel less distracted by the pull of my social media app, I have thought about deleting all of my accounts. In the end, I don’t think that is the answer for me. When I open my apps with the intention to either connect, to be inspired or to create, the pros of my experience far outweigh the cons. 

As you go into the weekend, I encourage you to reflect on the above questions. 

“Don’t use social media to impress people; use it to impact people”. – Dave Willis

How will you impact yourself, as well as your followers, through your own conscious interactions with social media?