In a world where social media is a dominating force, we must ask ourselves what kind of influencer do we want to be? Do we hope people visit our page and are better humans when they leave? And what message are we trying to get across our platform? Can you honestly say that you are being 100% authentic with your audience 100% of the time? Or do you hide behind a mask?
SORRY FOR THE 20 QUESTIONS Y’ALL. Haha, I really did want to write this blog post without asking so many of them, but to me they are pretty crucial for this specific discussion. Social media and mental health go hand in hand for me. Now, I should preface this with a disclaimer, because not everyone suffers from anxiety, depression, body comparison, etc. when it comes to social media. Some people, are completely healthy and unaffected by it, while for others it can rock their everyday world in catastrophic ways. The ugly truth of social media is that it can dominate hours of your day and then once you finally close the apps, you still feel like complete and utter SH*T about yourself. Mainly, because you spent the last two hours comparing your life to other people on the platform, am I right? You don’t understand how that person could get the opportunity to go on a all expense paid trip to Bali or that someone else is sponsored by YOUR favorite brand. We criticize ourselves and negatively bash on other people’s success. Sounds pretty negative, horrible and exhausting, right? Well that brings us to the meat of this blog post. CABE partners hosted an event named, Social Media: Unfiltered and I was lucky enough to be invited to speak on the panel with some other strong, bad A** boss babes. One of the speakers from the CABE Partners event, Emily Torchiana, said…
“We compare our behind the scenes to everyone else’s highlight reel” – LostGotFound"
This statement never rang more true for me. Honestly, I wear sweatpants, old volleyball t-shirts, hair up in a pony and I have no makeup on about 99.9% of the time. I open Instagram and I am bombarded with images of gorgeous people with perfect skin, the perfect bodies and I immediately let the negative thoughts consume me. I compare my BEHIND THE SCENES TO THEIR HIGHLIGHT REELS. Because in reality, we have the power…we CHOOSE what we want people to see on our social media platforms. Most images are edited, retouched, altered, or enhanced and while nothing (in my opinion) is wrong with that, it does take away from the authenticity of the platform. As a result, people forget that social media has turned into a form of marketing/advertising and they convince themselves that everything they see on the platforms must be completely true. When in reality, we don’t know what anyone else is going through. We don’t know how others are struggling. And who are we to judge any person for WANTING to show off their highlight reel? I mean, of course I want people to see the fun brunch I am attending with friends vs. seeing when I am alone crying my eyes out because I don’t feel beautiful enough to be pursuing blogging. These are the thoughts that I know other people feel, but choose to hide behind a mask and say that everything is fine. Just so you know, IT IS OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY. The stigma paired with mental health makes people so uncomfortable, that they genuinely don’t want to share how they are feeling with others. I myself, do not suffer from any type of mental health disorder, but can also tell you that I can’t even count the number of people in my life who DO struggle with depression, anxiety, etc. All I hope for, is to help change the negative way that people view mental health disorders. These disorders should not be taboo and we should ALWAYS be a lending ear for others who we believe are suffering.
Ultimately, the event touched on ALL these topics. It was an event that I was truly in awe of. The fact that so many women, myself included, were able to be 100% authentic with one another was truly eye opening. I, someone who hates public speaking, was able to step outside of my comfort zone, speak on a panel and be the REAL ME. I was in a room full of support. A room lacking fear. And a room full of love. To say that I was humbled by the experience truly is an understatement.
Now, social media doesn’t seem like it is going anywhere anytime soon, so I challenge you…If you are reading this, ask yourself those questions I mentioned at the beginning of this post. What kind of influencer do YOU want to be? Also, thank YOU for showing up to read this vulnerable post. I can tell you all that the kind of influencer I want to be is someone who can make others smile, laugh and fall in love with themselves. I AM a work in progress. I DO struggle with body image. I am NOT always bubbly and happy. But, from my posts I hope to make YOU feel more appreciated. To make YOU laugh at yourself. And to make YOU know your own self worth.
Xoxo, Kara
Comentários