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SOCIAL MEDIA

IT'S OKAY

March 10, 2015


Double tap. Like. Double tap. Like. Scroll. Double tap. Like.

Our lives have become a constant game of numbers, of thumbs up, of double tapped hearts and we’re all guilty to a degree of wondering what makes the following of someone else so large compared to our own. What makes the thoughts and images they share so desirable and what makes ours less than.

Double tap. Like. Double tap. Like. Scroll. Double tap.

We compare ourselves to others in search of greener pastures not realizing the grass is always greener where watered. It’s okay to scan the lawns of others for inspiration, to learn from their mistakes and share in their successes, to see how they pick their weeds and plant their flowers, to gain perspective.

Double tap. Like. Double tap. Like. Scroll.

It’s okay to desire homes full of white walls and photographs framed in inches of matting. It’s okay to paint your walls full of color and cover them in smiles of black and white. It’s okay to give your children toys crafted of wood or molded plastic, to have children or not to have children, to have one or five.

Double tap. Like. Double tap. Like.

It’s okay to stream thoughts poetically or make a pun or dwell on the irony of a comedic caption under a somber image. It’s okay to be you, to share the world through your lens and filter your pictures to reflect your mood. It’s okay to post a comment, a kind rebuttal or to ask a question even if rhetorical.

Double tap. Like. Double tap.

We post pictures of our pets and our vacations and our meals and question doing so if we don’t receive affirmation from the Internet within seconds. We set our screens to light up to alert us when someone somewhere has seen something we shared, a slice of life we’ve edited to represent the whole.

Double tap. Like.

It’s okay to like the filtered version of perfection others show and it’s okay to realize the corner they cropped out doesn’t fit into the portrayed image, the end result, their modified truth in the moment. Do the same and if no one likes it or follows you or shares it or leaves a comment, that’s okay.

Double tap.

We can’t live our lives constantly comparing them to those around us, to those we don’t know, to those we think we do. We can’t hold ourselves to an unreasonable standard, an unreachable bar at an ever-growing height. You can only vow to be the best version of you and regardless if others like it or not…

It’s okay.

2 comments

  1. Sometimes I stay off social media so I don't fall into the trap of comparing myself to others. Cute lil hand double tappin on IG! My son saw me doing it and took over. With every picture, he asked, "Do you like this? Isn't it cute? Isn't it pretty?" And if I said no, he'd disagree with me and double tap anyway.

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    Replies
    1. At least he's seeing the beauty in everything, right? ;) I feel like my daughter can navigate through my phone better than I can most days.

      Social Media can be such a great tool when used properly. Instagram in particular is my favorite and I saw a quote there once that "comparison is the thief of joy" and it stuck with me because it's so true.

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