Life In A Digitally Driven World - My Story

Introduction

It’s hard to slow down these days. I feel like now more than ever humans are more connected than they have ever been. With the click of a finger, we can buy virtually anything we want and get it on our doorstep the same day. We can talk to people across the world, we can learn how to change the oil on our cars by watching a YouTube tutorial, we can watch funny videos that make us laugh with our friends and family, and we can use a GPS to get us to any drivable destination. All of these conveniences are great right? I mean, who doesn’t like convenience and efficiency? Yes, all of these things and more can be used as great tools in our lives, but I believe this convenience comes with a cost.

Disclaimer

I feel like I should explain something really quick:

What I am about to say is just what I believe based off of my personal life experiences. I fully respect and appreciate other people’s opinions on this topic because I realize that everyone goes through different things in life. That being said, this is my experience and I think sharing my honest story on this topic could really help other people or maybe just get people thinking on this very important topic.

My Story

In third grade I first got ahold of an electronic device… an iPad mini. I remember being really excited about it because I could download fun games that I could play virtually anywhere I wanted. I even downloaded Snapchat because it had really fun face filters and allowed me to talk to my friends without even having a phone. After Snapchat, followed Instagram, and then Musical.ly (which is now TikTok). At such a young age I was exposed to so many things at once. Things that I would later come to realize would have an enormous negative impact on my mental and physical health.

In middle school I started to develop an infamous case of body dysmorphia. All of the exposure I was getting to social media influencers looking perfect and having these wonderful lives 24/7 gave me a pretty bad image of myself….and nobody even knew. I started to develop bad eating habits, constantly over-analyzed my physical features, and over obsessed about fitness for the wrong reasons.

Disclaimer pt 2

I am not telling this story for pity. Again, I simply want to bring awareness to an issue that is so prevalent in today’s society.

My Story Continued…

Thankfully (somehow) I got over my body dysmorphia. It’s all a blur to be honest. But that wasn’t the end of my battle with social media. After that came the feelings of anxiety, sadness, and insatiability. I found myself wanting these influencers lives, and even thinking mine wasn’t as good. I saw girls that went to my school post their perfect photos and thought “wow…why can’t I look like that”. Social media gave me this false image of everyones lives. As if these people that I had been comparing myself to didn’t struggle too. I found myself wanting whatever everyone else had…and want wanting more. It was this terrible cycle that would start again every single day that I woke up, and it was CONTROLLING the way I viewed and felt about my life without me even realizing it.

This cycle continued throughout majority of my childhood until finally I hit my junior year of highschool. I was sitting in my video production class one day and my teacher put on a special film for us… “The Social Dilemma”. Now if any of you haven’t seen this film I highly recommend you do. Honestly, it might scare you, as it should. Anyways, the film essentially talked about how the companies that designed and produced these social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Snapchat all had one sole intention in mind:

To get people to stay on the apps for as long as possible

Why? I’ll get to that in a bit. It’s pretty inhumane the more you start to think about it, and here’s why.

A Little History

Back in our hunter gatherer times, we relied on each other to survive. The bigger the group that you were a part of, the more food you could grow/kill, reproducing was easier, you had more protection, and overall your chances of survival were much higher. Over time as we evolved our brains made this connection:

That the more we socialize, the easier and more fruitiful our lives will be.

Every time we socialize now, our brains release “feel good” chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. Now this is obvious right? That’s why we love and crave hanging out with our friends, girlfriends, or boyfriends. We seek out human connection and this instinct derived from our basic need to survive and reproduce thousands of years ago. Now this instinct has evolved into so much more and is being exploited by these major social media companies for profit

How Do They Do It?

It all started with the like button. Have you ever gotten more likes on one post than another? It feels good right? Kind of satisfying. Like you feel that you’re being noticed more. Well…that’s what the like button was created to do. Make you feel good, happy, and validated. After the like button came the comment section. Same thing, ever gotten more comments on one post than another? Even just one comment feels good. It means someone went out of their way to not just like…but comment on your post.

So what’s the problem with all of this? It becomes an addiction that you naturally want to feed more. Social media gives us a false sense of socialization and validation. The like and comment sections make us feel like we’re being seen by our friends and family, which in turn makes us feel like we matter more.

Has an app ever asked to track your activity? Usually we mindlessly press yes and move onto the funny videos and feed of our family or friends. Essentially, when you press “okay”, you’re allowing this technology to get to know you better. It tracks what you watch and for how long, it tracks how often you go on certain apps, and it ultimately cultivates the perfect feed for you. The feed that you won’t be able to resist. This is how companies get you to stay watching for so long. They know you now.

I’m honestly describing this in the broadest of terms so I suggest you do your own research. But overall just know that these platforms were designed intentionally and carefully. They know the human brain and what feeds it. And for that my friends…I highly encourage you be careful.

My Story Continued…

After realizing all of this, I was shocked. The way I was feeling started to have an explanation behind it and I was determined to make a change in my life. I started to take regular social media breaks and honestly…they felt great. I’d delete every social media app on my phone and go a week or two without this. By doing this, I felt so much more clearheaded and less anxious. But most importantly, I felt more connected to myself and the people around me. Not fake connection on Instagram or Snapchat….but real human connection.

As I mentioned, these breaks were great. But when I would re-download all of these platforms back onto my phone…the cycle repeated. I’d return to feeling anxious, insatiable, and wouldn’t stop comparing myself to others. In return…I’d have to take another break.

I soon realized that these breaks weren’t really beneficial for me longterm. So I had to toughen up and change my relationship with social media all together. Limiting my time on it was pretty tough at first, but the urge to live a more present live overruled the cravings to be on these platforms. And my life…well it’s better for it.

Honestly…

I don’t expect for everyone to relate to this, but if you do I’d love to talk to you about it! Having conversations about these issues is important and the only way to make change happen. Good luck on your journeys friends. Much love <3