Last week, I posted a flood of photos on my personal Instagram to express how much I appreciated my friends and loved ones. These pictures weren’t curated or “beautifully taken”; they were random shots from my camera roll that honestly reflected my friendships. But the more pictures I posted back to back without caring about the “optimal” time and/or getting likes, something started to happen. I began to feel FREE. That’s when I realized the gravity of how much social media (specifically Instagram) has changed how we fully showcase ourselves and our talents.
“Social media tells us who to be instead of us telling social media who we are.”
Danielle Webb
Ok, before you try to use that quote, make sure you send $10 to my PayPal. I can add it to Eli’s diaper piggy bank! Haha!
But in all seriousness, social media just isn’t fun anymore. For many of us, it has become an additional stressor in our already chaotic lives when it shouldn’t be. Today I decided to drop a few tips to help you reclaim the fun on your social media. Let’s get right to it!
1. Have more fun with your content.
I think social media was created for us to have fun and enjoy having a community. If you’re not having fun with your content, then you should definitely take a step back and reevaluate your page. I know a lot of people reading this may want to become a full-time influencer, but if that’s at the cost of your mental health (and who you actually are), then I’d say take a break.
2. Stop being consumed by top influencers.
This is hard and I still struggle with it every now and then, but at some point you have to stop it. If you continue to pay attention to their careers, eventually you will never focus on your own journey. You must make the conscious decision to stay in your lane.
3. Interact with other artists regardless of their following count.
Why do we pay less attention to artists under 1K followers? Are they less creative? Is their advice not as credible as someone with a “verified check” or 400K followers? We must find a way to rewire our minds and go back to appreciating all creatives, no matter the following count.
4. Give back your honorary member badge to the comparison club.
We all know about the dangers of comparison. It will indeed have you depressed and wanting to give up. It’s time for you to strap on your confidence boots and give comparison a good kick out of your life!
5. Share the “every day” you.
This one is a big one. Why do you love your friends? It’s because they are 100% themselves right? Well, apply that to your social media. Sharing the every day “Danielle” has caused me to gain a lot of insta-friendships and have fun while doing it. Nobody needs a phony persona (or imitation of someone else) – BE YOU!
I hope these tips help you realize that you don’t have to be anyone else but you. Everyone is a human behind those big numbers that you see, so pivot your focus on being authentically you and having fun, enriching social media experiences.
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I just read this blog and I love it. You are so right. We can take social media too serious sometimes. My creative page gives me a nice escape from my personal. I have fun with it. And I know I can do this same on my personal page without the pressure of needing to be “more” for people. I was actually having a convo with hubby about what type of “influence” do I want to have on others that is true, authentic and nothing less. We get to control how we want to infleunce the media vs being influenced by it in a way that affects our mental health.
Hey Makayla, thanks a lot for commenting. Yes, it’s so easy to forget that social media is just a thing. It’s not a higher power lol! We can give it more power than it needs, and I think that’s because we’re in the age of the ✨influencer✨. Most people may start an Instagram account to get brand’s attention or for people to appreciate their work. It’s totally understandable because there was a time when you couldn’t get a company to even look your way. Now it can be instant, so there’s a lot of pressure to have your page look a certain way or only talk about specific topics. Being an influencer isn’t bad, but when it starts to affect your mood and mental health it can be unhealthy. I have to check myself often and remind myself that I am not perfect and it’s ok. I’m happy to know that you have fun with at least one of your pages.😄 You should enjoy the posting and creative experience.