EN:
IS INSTAGRAM BAD FOR YOU?
Nowadays, Instagram is one of the most popular social media tools on the Internet. It is used by more than 800 million monthly active users, according to statista.com. Unlike Facebook, which emphasizes social interaction and information sharing, Instagram aims mainly at our visual sense. And since the majority of the information that we perceive comes through our eyes, we can definitely say that we are biologically programmed to be hungry for visual information.
Source: @alexandra_bulac
Instagram is not a diary, it is a portfolio!
The first thing you need to realize is that Instagram is not a diary, but a portfolio! People share out there only the best version of their life. Their best selfies, the fanciest food and travel spots, and only the cool part of their day. You’ll never see a picture of a tired employee, standing at their cluttered office, signing papers. Even if we are talking about that exact same employee who was in Bali last week, having a perfect life.
Nobody has a perfect life, but that is what we display on social media. And I am not saying that it is a bad thing! After all, that is what Instagram is all about. You display beautiful pictures of beautiful things and places. But it is of utmost importance to acknowledge the fact that Instagram is not the reality, but only a part of it. It is the peak, the best part of it.
Therefore you should not allow Instagram to make you think that everybody has a better life than you do. Because that is nonsense.
Source: @alexandra_bulac
How often did you find yourself mindlessly scrolling down for dozens of minutes, without any well-defined purpose in mind?
I bet this has happened to you several times. And it all started out in the most innocent way. That is, you have just finished your current task. So you have decided to reward yourself with 5 minutes in which to check out the latest news about Kim K. But these 5 minutes have turned into 30. And now you are not in the mood to get back to work anymore. Well, there’s always tomorrow, right?
Wrong. In short, you lost your focus for a moment and you started looking for the closest source of dopamine. And your most reliable accomplice just announced you that its battery is 100% full.
Every second you waste on social media, you irreversibly delay your success, by feeding yourself with short glimpses of other people’s success. Staring at an image with a beautiful landscape will by no means help you to actually get there. Looking at selfies of those beautiful or powerful people will never help you get to know them or be like them. For that, you have to put in the work. And you absolutely can’t do that with your hand glued to your smartphone.
Here are some strategies to help you escape the harmful effects of Instagram:
1. Clean your feed.
Make sure you only follow people and pages you are truly interested in so that you don’t waste time on irrelevant content. A fun thing that you can do in order to keep your Instagram feed up to date is to unfollow a page that is no longer of importance to you every time you find a new page that you truly like. I also mentioned this tip in the “The Information Diet Concept” article.
2. Develop new habits.
Whenever you feel bored, try doing something else instead of avidly scrolling down the feed. For example, whenever you run out of things to do for a short period of time, don’t turn to your phone. Try finding a different thing that you like, such as reading or going for a walk. In other words, anything that sparks your interest at that moment.
3. Use social media as a tool.
If you have something like a small business, use social media wisely in order to promote it and interact with potential clients and partners. This also works very well if you are a blogger or an artist of any kind.
Also, you can use Instagram as a personal diary. That is, without having any intention to brag about your experiences or belongings, and without any expectation from your public. Because if you allow yourself to be defined by the likes and opinions of others, you will get immersed even deeper in this fake reality created by social media.
Is Instagram bad for you – Conclusion
So be mindful of what you spend your time on. One day, you may really need those hours spent on social media. But you won’t be able to get them back.
So if you need help with anything in this field, don’t hesitate to contact me. I will do the best I can to help. Cheers and see you next time!
Photos: @alexandra_bulac
RO:
În ziua de astăzi, Instagram este una dintre cele mai utilizate platforme de social media, având mai mult de 800 de milioane de utilizatori activi lunar, conform site-ului statista.com. Spre deosebire de Facebook, care promovează predominant interacțiunea dintre utilizatori și distribuirea de informații, Instagram țintește mai mult către simțul nostru vizual. Și, având în vedere faptul că percepem majoritatea informației din jur prin intermediul ochilor, putem spune că suntem programați biologic să fim avizi de hrană vizuală. Continue reading →
