Never-Ending Highlight Reels
I love social media. I think it's one of the greatest inventions ever created. It unlocks the entire world, and literally every person in it, for free, in the palm of our hands. It allows unprecedented access to other people, and provides unparalleled opportunities for creativity.
It's also one of the most dangerous inventions ever created. It's the ultimate double-edged sword. While it allows us unprecedented access to other people, it unfortunately allows us unprecedented access to other people. Well, to be more specific, it gives us unprecedented access to other people's highlight reels.
What we see on social media isn't real life. It's a tiny sliver of real life, carefully curated and ever-so-intentionally massaged to suit the palette of an outside audience. It's posted primarily to generate a specific feeling or response. Nobody posts content with the intent of making you think worse of them. It's always intended for you to perceive them positively.
If I were to internalize my social media feed as reality, here's the reality I'm signing up for:
Everyone has perfect marriages.
Everyone has perfect spouses.
Everyone has perfect kids.
Everyone is always put together and dressed fashionably.
Everyone takes the most luxurious trips all the time.
Everyone lives in the most perfect (and perfectly clean) houses.
Everyone drives the newest and coolest vehicles.
Everyone lives the richest lifestyles.
Everyone has the perfect job.
Everyone has perfect lives.
None of this is true, of course. What we see is the best sliver of someone's life. There's probably truth in it, but it's not THE truth. It's the highlight reel. SportsCenter doesn't show us the entire game. They only show us the 6 best plays. It's curated. It's flashy. It's what catches our eyeballs. Social media does the same.
If all that's true, we can stop comparing ourselves to whatever we see on social media. We can let go of this make-believe reality that doesn't actually exist. We can quit beating ourselves up over not having the perfect kids or the perfect spouse. We can give ourselves grace for not living in mini-mansions or driving vehicles that can land a man on the moon (while simultaneously making a perfect espresso).
Just let it go. Yeah, I know, it's not always that simple. If there are people in your life that are especially hard to stomach on social media, perhaps it's time to break out the trimming shears. Cut that out. You don't need a constant toxic presence in your life. After all, you have unprecedented access to their life.....choose carefully.
I'll continue to love social media, but do so with an understanding that it's just a sliver of people's reality. I'll also stay vigilant to ensure I prune my feed if I find myself struggling with jealousy or unfair comparisons. With unprecedented access comes an unprecedented need to be mindful.