05 May 2018

Social Media and Happiness

My friends and I say all the time how when we were growing up, we were so glad that platforms like Twitter and Instagram didn’t exist. Social media is my every day. Because Yow Yow! exists, there’s no getting around it. There’s even an element of it in my job! If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I’m a frequent poster for both feed and stories. In my morning commute, I use this time to scroll through my Twitter feed. For the last month, my mood has been up and down. If we’re really being honest, I’ve mostly just spent more time offline on all my platforms than I’m used to. I wasn’t tweeting or retweeting. I was posting less on Instagram and in the last week barely using Stories. On the other side of this, if you are a new business just starting out online, then you are going to need to be online to connect with your audience, so it is no wonder that they will look into areas such as ‘Twicsy buy Instagram followers services’ and similar other social media tools, as they have to remain engaged, but I am at a stage where I can enjoy the switch-off time that I need.

For years, there have been many reports about how social media affects one’s happiness. First, it started with the idea of FOMO and depression. Seeing posts from other people in your network or friendship circles causes you to doubt your own life. It’s still a thing today, but more widely talked about. What I’ve been noticing for myself in the last week is that when my mood is down, I just avoid social media completely. I don’t have the energy to blog or post or record. I wondered why that was because a part of me almost thought that I would do the opposite. Many people use social media to make their lives seem more enhanced and desirable and instead I found it easier to run in the other direction. I’m not sure if anyone else does the same, but it felt the most comfortable for me at the time. I only noticed this in myself when my mood had a spike and then the postings came again.

Social media is always going to be one of those things that continues to fascinate me. Sometimes, it even scares me! If this is social media in 2018, what are we going to be like in 2019 and beyond?

Posted on May 5, in Life