I have an instagram account called The Slow Method ( @theslowmethod). I basically post exercises and food. No very original I know, but that is basically what I do. I eat and exercise. And sleep, but that wouldn’t be very interesting… I like cooking, lifting weights, eating healthy and anything related to having a stronger, leaner, more energised body, all while trying to enjoy the process (doesn’t always happen…).
Before and during summer I was wondering if all this social media thing was good for me. I wanted to get more attention on my website, and spent hours and hours just scrolling down, liking, sharing, looking at the hundreds of different people I follow wondering “will I ever be like them”, or “how do they manage their lives so well”, or “I’m sure he/she is on steroids”, and all of that hateful nonsense.
It’s kind of difficult to make sense of it all. This daily life sharing is only a decade old and its use is transforming daily.
New jobs are coming out, we realise half of all of it is fake, a quarter of it is just the same memes repeated on thousands of different accounts, a few superstars reap great followings because they are already famous, and I’m just there wondering “what am I doing with my life”.
To be perfectly honest I am a bit lost in all of this. I’m getting close to 32 years old, on my little entrepreneurial adventure, trying to live as well as I can on basic principles which are honesty, balance, work, and fun. And this social media business seems to kick a few of those in the balls.
All I want to do is post what I like and what I am doing in the hope that someone out there likes it.
But why would i do that? Why do I want to expose myself and let some complete stranger judge me and never face the consequences of doing it to my face? Am I looking for brownie points of some sort? Am I not simply just asking to get hurt because no one really cares about what I’m doing? Why am I wasting SO MUCH time on them??
So that’s when it struck me.
This is a measuring tool. There are different aspects to it of course, but what better way to measure your progress? Or how good you are at something? How many people like you? Or your capacity to make interesting posts? Or even if your life is interesting or engaging to some people?
You can be dishonest about it all. You can fake a life and get people to like it. Photoshop your pictures to get more attention an praise for things you have not really achieved. I guess it helps some people cope but my guess is it leads down a very dark path, and only ends up hurting you in the long run if you do that.
I nearly quit using social media because I only saw the negatives of it. All I saw was my miserable self wondering why half the world is better than me. But I figured it is actually IMPORTANT to get feedback on what you do. It also hurts. But hey, that’s what make you move the fastest. So how does one wrap his head around this?
USE SOCIAL MEDIA AS A FEEDBACK TOOL, BUT ONLY FOR YOURSELF.
No one cares how many followers you have really… they only care how many followers THEY have. This is a worldwide feedback loop to stop you from thinking you are better than others. That’s how you stop whining and work on your craft.
Yes there are people that will call you out, hate on you, robots that just follow-unfollow, false comments, but its all just a game you choose to play or not.
Use it truthfully, and use it for your own sake. Use it to prove that you are becoming a better person. That you make your life so interesting that you are actually proud to share what you are doing, or what you are working on. Use social media as a legacy machine. When you have children or grandchildren, you will have a whole story to tell with pictures and comments all along the way.
But be truthful.
I have decided to use Instagram and Facebook to share what my daily life is about, and yes I will pick and chose the best parts of it because i don’t believe you want to know too much. But I will post my meals. I will post my workouts. I will post my travels. I’m proud of what I’m doing and I hope you get inspired, or that you think that what i’m doing is wrong and that i can get some of your feedback on it.
If you don’t like it unfollow me. If you like it please let me know. And then I’ll go see what you are doing, and if I like it, then I’ll happily follow you. That’s how we help each other.
Take it easy.
Morgan