This article is just me pointing out my social media pet peeves. Giving my thoughts on them, and how we(who make up the social media space) can do better, to make it a healthier place.
Do you ever just want to take a break from social media?
I mean, alot of times social media has been an outlet for me. It could be such a good distraction when there’s alot on my mind. You know, going through the pages of people I love and watching the funniest videos.
A lot of other times, it’s so toxic. The toxicity is on another level.
It’s funny, I never knew how judgemental and mean people could be until I got on social media.
It’s as though people patiently wait for other’s to make the slightest mistakes, to hear about people’s ruin, or for people to say something they consider as ‘offensive’ to pounce on them. Tell me about how easily people take offense at things these days! The sensitivity is uncalled for sometimes.
The ‘cancel culture’. I’m sorry, this is the most distasteful thing. I know with social media, alot of people are so vocal, that they rarely really think about things before putting it out to the public.
Still, can we give different opinions, call people out on their words or actions, strongly disagree with people, without tagging them as ‘canceled’ and throwing them into the trash? What’s insane to me is how easily it’s used now, how people feel that the power to cancel others, rests so much with them. ‘Canceled’ is definitely one of the the most over used words on social media, right now.
Some people say “it’s just a saying”. But truth is, the cancel culture has made people so scared to give their opinions. It’s made people scared to differ from the norm and be themselves, say their minds.
“It’s just a saying” but it comes from a place of spite.
And when a mob of people tag you as ‘canceled’? It’d take a strong will to still air your opinions and keep your head up. Sometimes, it’s not even about these people been canceled for me, it’s the reason behind why they are canceled. It’s insane.
Going through the comment section of pages, mostly Instagram and Twitter pages, is the most draining and not to be melodramatic, suffocating thing.
Most times I’m like “I’ll like to know how these people’s lives really are”. Just how amazing their lives are, maybe it’d explain coming on social media to dissect other people’s lives and hatefully apportion blames. There is constructive criticism, and there is been outrightly mean.
Social media is the one place that people who need direction themselves, police other people’s actions. Tell others how to live and what to do. Some kind of entitlement to people’s lives that I’d never understand.
And then, there are those comments that give you headaches. Like how can anyone ever be this closed minded.
There was really a point where, I never used to open the comment section of any page. I’d just like a few posts or tweets and go offline. Sometimes, I go offline for a few days. And when I’m back, I start with Youtube because Instagram, twitter, those places drain me. Although Youtube is a social media website, there you can decide more, what to watch and subscribe to. It’s just a healthier place for me.
It’s really the only social media website, I can stand for a long time, without feeling drained.
There, I get to laugh and just be happy. I subscribe to the most amazing channels.
There’s less heartbreaking and horrible news, less entitlement and judgements from people. Ofcourse there’ll always be ‘those people’. But like I said, it’s less. The comments are mostly sweet and calm. If you haven’t been a youtube person, give it a try. You just might find it saner.
Lastly, the fact that people go to the craziest extent to paint a picture of their lives that is not true, to look lush and trendy is a little sad. The picture of your life you try so hard to display to people, should be atleast close to what your life looks like in closed doors. So you’re not looking lush and signing deals in public, that are actually non-existent.
But there’s something I noticed, people love to see those things. People love to see the ‘good life’. I feel like sometimes we know deep down, that these shiny looking things we see may just not be what they look like, but we shut those voices out because we love to see glamourized things. We secretly like to use people’s lives to measure ours. Social media gives us a deceptive picture on how life should be.
I could go on and on, on how toxic social media can be, but I do not want to soil your day with sad tales. There’s still SO MUCH good in social media.
Take a break from social media, when it gets to you just like it gets to me sometimes. When it feels toxic and ends up giving you a headache. Do not get to the point where you feel totally exhausted.
Get rid of things that threaten your mental health. Your sanity is so important.
I’ll end by saying these things; lets be nice with our words. Let’s spread positivity. Let’s correct people without been judgemental or outrightly mean. Let’s think before we talk. Let’s keep it real, be ourselves and be true to ourselves.
Let our words and actions bring light to people lives.
Let’s make social media bearable for people. When you put yourself in the shoes of these people, these celebrities that we constantly taunt, you’d realize it’s not a good experience, they’re human too
Love, hugs and kisses.
*What do you think about today’s thought? What contributions do you have? What do you think about the cancel culture? What are the attributes you think social media users should take on or shed off? What do you do, to preserve your sanity when social media exhausts you?*
The End
Enun's Musings 