Social media have done a 360º turn in our lives. They have changed everything we have known until now: how to socialize, how we talk, what to wear, where to buy, and so on. Nonetheless, the journey of social media has been full of bumps. Some of them, like Instagram or Twitter, have influenced our way of seeing things and behaving around others.
First and foremost, Instagram is one of the most used applications of all time. It has been in the app market for a couple of years and, since then, it has been earning non-stop profits and an increase of people using the app. What makes Instagram so special is the portrayal of fake desirable lives. Everyone wants to show the world how much fun they are having and all the thing they have. Needless to say, no one is going to post how miserable they are and how bad things are going for them. Even though they are going through a bad period of their lives, they will upload a photo where they show the joy and bliss they have at that moment. This portrayal of fake expectations has had an extremely negative effect on people. That is why many people have deleted the app, they cannot start seeing people having a good time while they are suffering. For this reason, when seeing Instagram, we have to think if what we are going to see will affect us in some kind of way and, if it does, we should stop seeing it. Balancing the amount of time we are on Instagram will help us in all kinds of ways.
Added to this, Twitter runs as the second most used and toxic application of all times. When twitting something or replying to a message, being careful with what you say should be your only priority. Not the content of the message nor the register you use to write it, but the words you are using. All opinions on Twitter are prone to be criticized and even making you take down the twit as it has offended thousands of communities. People seem to think they have the right to judge your points of view and make you consider if your way of seeing things is the right one. This toxicity has made that a good amount of celebrities take down their accounts so that they can stop receiving hate. Nonetheless, there is also a part on Twitter where it is full of memes and a good atmosphere, yet, every person should consider if it is worth risking your mental health for only a few good moments. Sooner or later you will stumble across negative comments, but, if when you run across them you know how to act, you will save yourself from going through a bad time and you will be able to continue reading tweets without negatively affecting you.
Last but not least, corporations have taken advantage of the take-off of social media and they have launched their own brands. Mr. Wonderful has existed for a long time and they have created an empire based on excessively joyful sentences. Seeing those sentences might make you feel better, but, with time, you realize they do not apply to the real world. We are surrounded by negativity in our daily lives and we need some kind of contrast to make us feel better. Nonetheless, their merchandising is not the solution. They should encourage things that will truly help people with their mental health, not a sentence they will forget the next moment they look at other things. Understandably, they have to make a living out of something, so I would recommend a makeover. They could create sporty trousers with their sentences to go out for a job. With that, they are promoting doing exercise, good for your mental and physical health, and a sentence as their sign of identity.
In conclusion, social media is a double-edged sword. They show you how to have a good time, yet, in the end, they will consume you until turning you into a miserable person. A balance should play an important role in our lives and it will help us to healthily use social media.
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