Why I’m Thankful For Social Media
“I’ve never had an original thought in my life and there’s tons of people on the internet happy to tell me just that.”
We all want to feel special. But when you spend most of your life feeling like the odd one out, it’s nice to have a place you can turn to with like-minded individuals who share your interests. Even though that means you might realize you’re not that unique after all.
Most of the time, when you read about Social Media, the focus lies on the negative effect it has on our mental health. And even though these challenges are 100% valid, I would like to take the time today to focus on the good things it has brought me personally. More specifically the following 2 aspects: connection & bravery.
Connection
I read a comment on TikTok a while back saying something like “I’ve never had an original thought in my life”. If I remember correctly it was a video about having intrusive thoughts. Till that very moment I was convinced I was the only one having these. You know those odd flashes that appear when you’re driving a car and you’re thinking “what if I would just drive this car over the side of a suspension bridge or into oncoming traffic?”. No, you don’t have those? Well I do, and luckily now I know I’m not the only one, and that those type of thoughts don’t mean you’re ready to check yourself into the looney bin.
Looking back, I could’ve used videos like that growing up. I think we could’ve all benefited from a little honesty that some things, as odd as they might be, are ok to do or have and that there’s no need to be ashamed or feel crazy. And while we all like to feel special there are also moments that we want to feel connected and understood and to me, Social Media has given me just that.
Bravery
As a person that struggles with anxiety, it’s always a full mental process to hit the post button. Probably more specifically – to create something worth posting. Back in 2013, when I lived in Florence, a friend of mine used to take these amazing pictures in the city center right in front of the Duomo. It was packed with people and I never could wrap my mind around the fact that she could just go up in front of hundreds of people and just do her thing. She forced me to come with her once and I just stood there. Baffled by the amount of confidence you need to have to stay focused while people are staring at you. After she got the picture she needed she said “what? It’s not like I’m every going to see these people ever again”.
I think about that every time I take a pic for the ‘gram. And even though I still get extremely, exceedingly nervous when people look at me. At the end it always gives me a certain boost of confidence that I dared to go up in front of all these people on the street and just do MY thing, no matter what people may or even may not think. Next time when you see someone post a picture just flip the perspective for a second. Don’t think about yourself, and what YOU think of the picture. Just think “this person was feeling themselves today and THEY think they look good”, and if that’s not worth a like, then I don’t know what is.
It’s easy to always focus on the negative. And yes, comparing yourself and your life to others on Social Media is a challenge we all face. But take a moment and think about the knowledge you’ve gained, the places you’ve discovered and most importantly, how much you’ve grown as a person because of it.
