Life With Filters

*Beep*

Your phone buzzes and you see a notification from Facebook. Your heart begins to race. You open the app and there it is- "Someone liked your picture." You'd be lying if you say that you didn't care about the number of likes you get on your pictures. It's more of a validation for you, reassurance that people still "like" you.
But how much do you care about the people in the real world who actually like you? When was the last time when you got dressed up and felt beautiful without clicking a picture for your social media account? It's hard for you to remember right? Well, maybe because you were so busy getting validations on social media platforms that you never thought of peeping outside your phone and see this bright, beautiful and colorful world. You were so busy applying filters to your life, that you forgot to live the unfiltered, real life.
Studies have shown that most people using social media feel alone, and depressed. People are so alone today, that they use social media to fill the void of their life. But ironically, social media has created a new void in their life. The more time people spend on social media, the more they're disconnecting themselves from real life and are feeling less connected with themselves.
Not just this, sometimes they are influenced by the content on social media so much, that they force themselves to think and react the way as most people do. They believe that in order to walk hand in hand with the world, they have to have the same thoughts as most of the people have.
According to psychologists, the human brain requires multiple interactions like face to face socialization, in order to promote healthy neuro-connections and functioning later in life. But people have confined themselves in social media and limited their thinking. They don't realize that if they've started saying "no" to real-life interactions, it's time for them to take a break from social media.
We've always been taught that excessive use of anything is dangerous. Technology is a boon, for sure but if you misuse it, it'll surely become a bane. Social media is a blessing to connect with people all around the world, but it should not be forgotten that it was made for people who are far away from you, and not to interact with people who are right beside you. Put your mental health first, and not your Instagram profile.
We only get one life to live — let’s remember to live in it.

By: Surbhi Singh