We Need to Take Social Media Less Seriously

Let’s make Instagram casual again.

by RHYLEE HUDSON ★ JULY 28, 2024

Planned feeds, debates on what time to make posts, and overthinking about whether or not people will think that you’re cool. When did social media get so serious and nonrealistic? There was a time when people would update their statuses to anything and everything, but now we’ve become so fake.

I have thought too hard about a cover photo to make sure it doesn’t mess up my feed, but when you really think about it, how can your feed be messed up when it's supposed to document your life? Nothing’s perfect, and it's unrealistic to make it seem like you have it all put together when that's not the truth. Because, genuinely, who cares how many likes or followers you have? When we become casual on social media, it takes the pressure off of posting. And that removes the need to have certain experiences in order to feel like you are a part of something. The feeling of FOMO is human, and this is emphasized when you see someone posting themselves doing something fun, but you have been doing schoolwork or working all day. But if you think about the hard truths of the situation, that post is probably from the past. Everyone goes through similar things, and I can guarantee the person who just posted from brunch with a friend could be making that post from behind a desk.

Faking reality is so out, and being real is in (not the BeReal app, though). Instagram is the biggest cop out of reality, and Snapchat is following in its path. Myself and everyone I know never post on their main Snapchat story, but their private stories? That is an entirely different story (this is punny, please laugh). Personally, I post whatever I want on my private story because it is only viewed by my friends, but I wouldn’t dare to do that on Instagram, and you wanna know why? We collectively have developed a fear of being judged by a singular story post or a collage of our ten most recent happenings.

We are genuinely living double lives; your friends see the real, fun side of you from being with you in person, and the people who have chosen to follow you on Instagram see the pretend version that you want them to see. Think about this: why would you want someone who doesn’t enjoy the person you are and how you chose to represent yourself on social media to follow you anyway? Social media was supposed to be a comfortable place for people to be themselves, but now people have resorted to deleting apps in order to not feel the pressure from online friends and communities. After ruining the experience for millions, there's only one thing left to do: stop caring about what you post, because no one will be thinking about it as hard as you are. 

We are our biggest critics, and once we learn how to be fully transparent versions of ourselves on social media, that allows us to be authentic and real in person. Being authentic is a way to make ourselves happier and actually enjoy our time on social media. Sharing what makes you happy is not something to be scared of; it is something to value.