Highlight reels on social media are all about your top-notch moments when you’re living your best life. It can feel good to share wonderful things happening in your life and to see fun things happening in the lives of others but be sure not to compare your real life to others’ highlight reels.
Remember social media posts are typically just the highlights. People tend to only want to share the good parts of life and hide the not-so-good parts. We don’t know what someone else is going through unless they tell or show us. Perhaps the friend who is sharing all the happy times and bright smiles is secretly living with anxiety, depression or a life-threatening health diagnosis.
Representation on social media can be like putting your best side forward, and keeping blemishes hidden, like the apple in this photo. In woodworking, craftsman use a veneer, a thin covering of decorative wood, to cover much coarser wood. Social media can be like that… it’s just a veneer, a thin covering of what’s real underneath. It’s interesting that the more coarse heavier wood underneath supports and is stronger than the veneer that covers it. Real life is like that, the highs and lows are part of what make life interesting and add strength, depth and authenticity to our character.
A recent review of literature found both positive and negative correlations between social media use and depressed mood. Take note of how you feel after consuming social media… if you are viewing funny or uplifting posts, or enjoying catching up with friends’ activities, then social media that may be helpful to you. But if you find you are comparing your own life with both ups and downs, to posts that are only the ‘ups,’ it may be time to reevaluate your use of social media. An article published by the National Institutes of Health offers these tips on healthy social media habits:
- Keep real life in mind. Don’t compare others’ best to your reality.
- Be intentional about social media use. Is your time online taking you away from healthy activities like time outside, or spending time with friends and family?
- Ask yourself how viewed content makes you feel. Is what you’re viewing getting you down?
- Consider posting about the importance of mental health, or that you occasionally have real life struggles. It might just be the refreshing post someone else needs to read.
- Be real with someone in real life. Authenticity cannot be replaced.
- Teach children that what they see on social media does not represent real life.
For more information check out this article on digital wellness. Remember that life is not a highlight reel, it’s lived to the fullest in both the joys and struggles.
Writer: Shannon Carter, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Fairfield County, carter.413@osu.edu
Reviewer: Christine Kendle, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Tuscarawas County, kendle.4@osu.edu
Sources:
“Healthy Social Media Habits.” Sept. 2022 NIH News in Health. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2022/09/healthy-social-media-habits
Karim F., Oyewande A. A., Abdalla L. F., et al. (June 15, 2020) Social Media Use and Its Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review. Cureus 12(6): e8627. DOI 10.7759/cureus.8627
Lobb, J. “Digital Wellness.” Oct. 2022. Live Healthy Live Well blogsite of the Ohio State University. https://livehealthyosu.com/2022/10/17/digital-wellness/