Social Media Misconceptions

Hey guys!

How are you doing?

I'm going to start of this post by saying that at one point of my life, I used to scroll through countless Instagrams, Youtube videos, blogs and just admire the way people seemed to live. I would spend endless amounts of time trying to fix myself, although the question of why never seemed to be answered. As I sat here right now scrolling through Instagrams, Youtube videos and blogs (for an entirely different reason), I had a sudden thought - why did it always seem to matter so much?

Being constantly surrounded by social, and other, media puts a whole lot of pressure on people, especially teenagers who still trying to identify themselves, to fit a certain mold. Whether this be by showing them unrealistic photos of what they should aim for, or presenting them with successful people who have had the opportunity to work; it is so easy for a person to watch, see or read something and have a misinterpretation of someone's life. Many people don't understand that what you see on all these various social platforms, is only what the publisher wants you to see.

While a picture, or an article, or a post may have a story hidden behind it, most of the time this hidden story is not exposed, much less explained. This story could be full of negativity, and bad happenings, but you just do not know because you aren't seeing the other half of what is going on. The person who publishes the photo, film or article is in complete control of what you see and what you have access to. This means that although you might think someone is living a perfect life, they are only showing you the parts of their life that are what might be perceived as perfect.

Which makes sense, right? I mean, when was the last time you posted a crying #selfie, or you wrote a whole blog post on how you didn't like your hair when you woke up on Monday morning?

In addition to this above mentioned misconception, about people having perfect lives, it is also important to remember that you should not be constantly comparing yourself to these people. We are all on our own journeys of confidence, and just because some people might view somebody or something as idyllic, it does not mean that subject matter of your admiration is comfortable themselves. On another hand in some similar perspective, you should never compare your beginning to someone else's middle. A lot of the influential people on social media have worked hard to live the life they life, and first and foremost, they have been given the opportunity to work for what they love.

For example, Blogilates has been working since she was 16 to make something of her devotion to Pilates. Due to Cassey's extreme enthusiasm and love of exercise, she has built something for herself that stems from her love of health, and has influenced so many people to develop a love for looking after themselves. You may admire her omg-amazing body, but you have to remember that her fitness and health is her life, and honestly, I'm so glad it is. Another example is the beautiful Michelle Phan who is devoted to beauty. Phan has worked so hard to build her own label, and to build the branch of the industry that she has for herself, and her love of beauty. For all my beauty lovers out there, I wouldn't doubt for a second you have heard of (or even admire) Michelle Phan, but it important to note that beauty is her life and she has slogged to get to where she is today.

It's for this reason that social media, in it's various forms, is such a powerful outlet for spreading a message, and could potentially be used for spreading positivity and energy to almost every body who has access to it. It's become an undeniable truth that we're going to be surrounded by social media, it's just our choice on what we use this as an outlet for.

I have worked very hard to surround myself with media influences that are positive and always make me laugh. Maybe it's time for everyone to do that too? We all know that we already have so many negative things weighing us down, so why would you make the choice to add some more on top of that? It's absolutely your choice on anything to do with social media.

In my personal experience, I tend to stay away from most social media (I write on a social media platform) as it often serves as a distraction, or is just filled with negativity which has a heavy impact on my life. When I do log on, however, I tend to just check up on my friends and plan things as, as I mentioned before, it's a very effective way to communicate with people.

What do you spend most of your time on, and why? Who are your favourite bloggers/Yotubers/Instagram-ers/Tumblr users?

Also wanted to apologise for the consecutive chatty videos, and my irregular (but getting back into the swing of things!) publishing routine. Stay with me, I'm almost there!

Much love,

Duchess