So you’re scrolling through social media looking for daily inspo, latest fashion updates, what your favorite celebs are up to, your favorite sports team updates and the list goes on for most. As we scroll through apps to pass the time, we have all found ourselves looking at the time and realizing we have been on social media for hours. 

During our scrolling time we are either actively or subconsciously looking at lives we wish we could obtain. Wishing we had the clothes that one person is wearing, wishing we had unlimited funds to travel and see the world, wishing we could start a successful business like that entrepreneur we follow. And these people are at or around our age? Give me a break.

Social media portrays a lot of wonderful lives, seemingly easy to grasp if we just knew how we could obtain the same. 

I used to follow a bunch of social media accounts in regard to beauty, fashion, modeling and fitness. I didn’t think anything of it for a long time until one day I noticed while scrolling endlessly, looking at all these beautiful people with picture perfect lives, I was comparing my life and myself to them. I was working out (still a good choice), staying up to date on the latest beauty trends and trying to model my life after these supposedly perfect people. I was running myself rancid trying to be anything but my one true self. 

Finally, I got tired of it. I unfollowed and stayed away from people who weren’t making a positive impact in my life.

Influencers on social media aren’t perfect. They are normal people just like all of us. A lot of these accounts are staged and a lot of those picture-perfect women and men are most of the time highly edited. The great part of social media today is that accounts are starting to reveal the truth as shown in this Buzzworthy article. They are becoming aware of their audience and taking off the veil because they realize a lot of young people are bending over backwards to try to achieve the same lifestyle, body and looks. Unfortunately, we become the spectators who give this value to them. 

I found a couple great articles that support both ends of the spectrum on how social media is deceiving, but growing in its goal to impact individuals. 

Rachel Ramirez, a New York based journalist, talks about the deception influencers and social media portray. Ramirez mentions how this deception can have a hold on low self-esteem and symptoms of depression. She connects her point regarding the negative impact social media may have on individuals with the episode “Nosedive,” from the popular Netflix show “Black Mirror.” I myself have watched this episode, and I can tell you it is chillingly accurate. 

There have been an increase in efforts to break the illusion created by social media as shown in the article from Buzzworthy mentioned above by highlighting a few influencer accounts who, among many, are taking off the veil and showcasing the truth on social media. The article takes a look at one influencer in particular who decided the game was over and it was time to show the truth. The response she had received was even better than she could have imagined and released a video in response. 

With all being said, don’t bend over backwards to try and be someone you are not. Being yourself is more powerful than putting on a show — plus it’s a lot of work. No one is perfect. No life is perfect. Choose social media that impacts your life in a positive, empowering way.