Social media is just like any other type of media (movies, TV, magazines, etc…): it’s always trying to tell us something, whether we realize it or not. The more you do realize it though, the happier* you might be!

Messages on social media are crafted. Very, very carefully.

How many pics did you trash before you got that selfie juuuuuuuust right? Everything we do on social media is subtly – or not so subtly – creating a very specific version of ourselves. It’s you, but maybe not the full, blemishes and all, you. We all do it. Yes, even you.

With everyone working so hard to present their best selves to the world, it doesn’t take long for our perspective and expectations to get totally skewed. Not sure what we mean? Just google “Pinterest fails.”

Is this a bad thing? Well, it’s complicated.

Doing it for the likes can be a nice confidence booster, but when all we ever see is an edited slice of life posing as the real thing, stuff gets a little twisted.

“OMG! They’re having such an awesome time at prom. Why didn’t I have that much fun.”
“Uggggggg… of course they were all out last night while I was stuck at home.”
“She got into every school she applied to!!? I feel so stupid.”

Sound familiar? It’s natural to compare yourself to everyone else. Do yourself a favor and keep reminding yourself: you’re only seeing what they want you to see. Use Facebook, Insta – whatever’s your jam – to feel connected. But if your feed is giving you those negative feels, it might time to take a break.

*Studies have found a link between lower self-esteem and time spent on Facebook (chances are these types of findings could be applied to other social networks too, but Facebook has been around the longest, so there’s been more time to study it).