I have realized how much social media has changed over the course of a decade and how social media has changed so many people's perceptions of life and determining what's real and what's fake. The thing about social media is that you can create whatever life that you want and you can showcase whatever you want your followers to see. However we don't talk enough about the level of deceit and comparison that comes with social media. Social media is a very rewarding tool but if you're not strong minded it can become very dangerous.
If I can be transparent I have experienced the good and the bad of social media. I've experienced the difficulties of finding balance in being active enough to support my brand and when to unplug to keep a peace of mind. Social media has pushed this view that only one way works when promoting or posting content however I'm learning that you have to take ultimate control and not allow algorithms and society to push you into presenting an unauthentic version of yourself. Social media is filled with people who mean well but also people who use a keyboard and screen to spew hate through fake confidence. I believe that social media can be a great way to showcase your life in whatever meaningful manner that may be, but you have to be real and honest with yourself. For me there are times where I have caught myself comparing my life or trying to compare my niche and model after others and that's when I began to realize that I have to hold myself accountable and step back from social media or limit my time scrolling to keep my thoughts and vision pure and healthy. It's easy to get caught up in the life of others when all you see is what they post which nine times out of ten are only the successful parts.
See this is where the statement "social media is fake" stems from, because it showcases a false perception of the actual reality of people's life. I remember getting so discouraged when it came to my blog because I felt like it wasn't reaching enough people and I had this vision of where my blog should be and how many subscribers I should have and how I could expand my brand and overthinking creating content, all of these things simply because I would see the creativeness on Instagram or the interactions on other bloggers post and wonder so much as to how I could be more creative or how I could present something different from what everyone else is already doing. I had to come to terms with the fact that if God gave me a vision and purpose for something it doesn't matter who does what the same or better I will still be favored and my blog/brand will still reach who it is supposed to reach.
Once we realize that overall the perceptions that have been pushed on us by society and the social media would in general are unrealistic and overall fake then we will have more freedom to authentically show up and appear as our true selves and be confident in the areas where God has called us to thrive in.
My prayer today is that we focus our eyes on God's plan and vision for our lives. I pray that we have the eyes to see through the fakeness of the world and the perceptions that are driven out by society. I pray that we will thrive being authentically ourselves and that we will bask in the freedom and confidence that is placed on the inside of us.
With love,
-Yours Truly, Eb