Social media isn’t interesting anymore…
It was not that interesting to begin with, but it had an appeal.
It was enticing. It was new at one point.
It could make one feel connected to their loved ones.
Instant dopamine hit.
Social media is a void. Though not the black and dark kind of void.
Social media is a white hot void. It can seem attractive and cold at the same time.
Instant overstimulation.
It’s deceiving and dangerously alluring.
Upon logging in and opening any social media platform, one may not think they are going to be very long in these apps. It will just be a moment of checking messages, or notifications and connecting with friends. There may be a feeling that inspiration will be gained while scrolling through other’s posts.
Then before you know it, hours have gone by. Little to no inspiration was acquired besides maybe a slight bit of dopamine, and there is very little feeling of connection to anyone as you look through everyone’s’ posts.
Instead, there’s an odd feeling of loss. A kind of melancholy washes over as you look at a series of wedding photos, followed by a new job post, pregnancy announcements, celebratory posts of children reaching several months of age with cute pictures of the baby on a decorative mat, followed by a post grieving a pet that’s passed away, or someone’s relative that’s passed, followed by an engagement photo and a sappy caption, and another series of wedding photos, and on and on it goes…
Finally, you log off. You exit the platform. You may sit for a moment and notice a tree outside, or the rain. You may hear your dog bark or your neighbor upstairs. It brings you back to reality.
Though there’s that melancholy you were feeling. Why does that still linger though you’ve removed yourself from social media?
Physically, you may have turned it off, but your mind is still playing what you saw. And your heart is busy yearning for that fully lived life that you witnessed in the last two hours. You compare what you feel you have in reality to what seemed to be vibrant and exciting online.
It is easy to forget that what is shared on social media is not a fully lived life. It is not even one life. A post is just one moment in time. It is only a sliver of one’s truly lived experience.
To have a fully lived, vibrant and exciting life one must be present in their current, moment-to-moment reality. One must stay focused in the non-virtual, mundane and ever evolving experiences of their present existence.
How painful and challenging this seems to be. It was probably always painful and challenging, but it has become more so now as we often subconsciously compare ourselves and our lives to what we see on social media as it flashes before us at lightning speed.
Dissociating feels easier than staying in what’s really happening in each moment. Reality can often feel mundane and therefore painful, especially after spending all our time virtually living vicariously through a swarm of photos and captions of other people’s experiences.
Do you want to live through other’s experiences or build your own life, living that which you create to the fullest?
Do you want to swoon over a virtual picture of who someone may be or become a person you can tangibly feel proud of?
Both options take energy, and time. Both options are hard in their own way.
Only one option will give you lasting joy and a sustainable sense of self.
Why waste your time chasing anything else but that?