As a Communications student majoring in Digital and Social Media, it is safe to say that I spend a lot of time talking about, learning about and of course using Facebook, Instagram, you name it. The other day I was on Instagram and came across this quote:
“The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.”
It is so true. We are continuously trapped in this vicious cycle of comparing ourselves with other people. Simply thinking that their social media profile is full of amazing, flawless pictures automatically means that their life must be perfect and they’ve got it all together, right? Wrong.
I think we tend to forget how much of a superficial world we live in today. And I’m writing to myself here as well. Almost every picture you see is edited in one way or another. One filter can cover all the blemishes, or hey if you’re not wearing makeup that day, just resort to the old-fashioned black and white – they’ll never be able to tell. But this isn’t the main problem. Social media is a perfect way for us as individuals to share our life with others with a simple click of a button. The thing that we often forget, is that we only share what we want to share – we get to pick and choose what parts of our life other people get to see. This is the same for that girl, or guy, you have been stalking on Instagram for the last twenty minutes. We filter through (pun intended) the thirty-two almost identical selfies and pick the one we like the best.
Don’t compare your life with another person’s newsfeed. Just like you, they are probably only sharing the parts of their life that will get them the most ‘likes’. I am not saying this is a bad thing or you should delete all of your social media accounts because they are from the devil. If that was the case, I think I am studying the wrong degree. Rather, I want this to be an encouragement, even just for one person, to be open-minded and consider that what you are seeing doesn’t necessarily depict what is going on in their ‘behind-the-scenes’. Everyone experiences ups and downs in life, because spoiler alert – that’s life. Just because you’re not seeing it on their newsfeed, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. So next time you are scrolling through your different social media accounts, keep that in mind, because one of the best rules to being happy is to stop comparing yourself to others.
I heard a pastor say during his sermon the other day that although it is still an issue, money is no longer the primary roadblock getting in the way of our relationship with God. Instead, it is this growing trend of narcissism. WE ultimately drive the wedge further between God and us.
“Don’t become so well-adjusted and conform to the pattern of this world that you fit into it without even thinking” – Romans 12:2 (NIV & MSG).
We focus too much on ourselves that we forget that all of this is just temporary. The love of God and his promise of life with Him – now that’s something that lasts forever.
Keep smiling. x