To Post or Not to Post? Thoughts on Using Social Media

“To post or not to post,” a seemingly simple question. As a teenager, we may ask ourselves this on a daily basis as we put out our thoughts onto social media for the rest of the world to see. There are so many great connections that we can make on social media through shared interests. We can become friends with people we’ve never even met before all because we’re in the same internet community. However, there is caution to be taken when we share parts of our lives with others.

Was there ever a time when we didn’t want to share the best of ourselves with the world? There’s no fault for wanting to spread the joy of an accomplishment or simply a photo of a nice day, but it’s of equal importance to reflect upon why we post what we post.

The thing about social media is, it’s changed what it means to be human. Nowadays for the most part, it’s not about sharing the joy we feel anymore. It’s about the competition to see who can have the best life. Every day I scroll through Facebook and Instagram and I see posts from genuinely amazing people with hundreds or thousands of likes but then I think, what are you doing that you can share? Are you even doing anything? Why can’t you do anything? There is no room for mistakes as we polish up our lives so that they seem perfect for the world to see. There is no time to be doing nothing. We all have turned social media into a competitive platform in which we showcase who has the better life.

Life is not a competition and social media is not a platform to compete on. We cannot measure people by the number of likes they get on a post because there is so much more to a person than how other people see them.

Unfortunately, although it may seem otherwise on social media, none of us have the perfect life. If we post anything at all, it shouldn’t be to compete with others because that’s a toxic way of thinking and can lead to many problems with self-esteem. When we compare ourselves as a whole, flaws and all, to other people’s strengths we are not being fair to anyone.

You control social media, it does not control you.

Once I learned that someone else’s achievement—or even just their great hair day—doesn’t reflect on me, I learned to control the effects of social media on me. Through the practice of positive thinking about myself and other people, I am exposed to posts that celebrate achievements rather than ones that make me feel poorly about myself. The social media of other people is not about me. Sometimes when the beast of perfection has us in its grasp, all we have to do is simply tell it to let go.

It may seem like just a joke sometimes, but the things you comment online really matter to other people. Be a careful version of yourself with your words when you post or comment.

We all like to poke fun at our friends from time to time, but it is important to remember that there is a line where fun ends and bullying begins. As teenagers, the line may seem blurry and we may cross it without even realizing it. When we comment or post, it should not be for hurtful purposes because what we say can really matter to a person. What other people say, really matters to me. Even if it’s just a joke, we can’t predict another person’s reaction to it. If the comment is not positive, it may be better to keep it to yourself.

Things you say online are for everyone to see. Be safe with what you post. You never know who’s going to see it.

Today nearly everyone has social media and perhaps sometimes we may get too personal online or come to post things we will regret later. This may be damaging towards you in the future if an employer ever chooses to search your name online. Before adding an Instagram filter, we also need to add a mental filter of what is appropriate to be sharing with the rest of the world.

Social media is a tool to use for our benefit, but only if we choose to use it the right way.

We can gain confidence behind a screen but it is vital to our success that we learn to apply that confidence in every aspect of life. At the end of the day, teenagers will make mistakes online and that’s okay only if we learn from them and improve the next time we hit that post button.