I Am On My Phone Way Too Much…
In today’s society, social media rules all. Everything we do is social media based. They way we connect with loved ones, the way be document our childrens’ lives, the way we make friends or even fall in love. For most of us, social media is everything. Every morning I wake up I roll over and the first thing I do is check my Instagram. Then my Email, then Facebook and twitter…etc… I don’t say good morning to my husband, brush my teeth or have any other thought besides checking to see what happened on my social media platforms. How many likes or comments did my photo or post receive, who did what or said something that I missed within the last six hours? And it isn’t just the morning that I instantly check my social media, it is all day. I am not sure if it has something to do with my ADD that I am constantly looking and browsing the internet. It is like I can’t just sit and think my own thoughts. I must know what other people are doing at all times, what other people think of what I have to say. I feel like I am always missing out on what is right in front of me because I am ALWAYS on my phone. I’m missing moments with my husband because I am too busy reading post on Facebook. I miss moments with my Daughter because I am always looking at my Instagram feed. I don’t call/text my family enough because I am too busy reading my Twitter feed. You get the picture… it’s a problem.
Being a blogger, my life has become even more dependent on social media. For a blogger, social media is how we connect with our readers. We share posts on Facebook, tweet a tweet on Twitter or post a photo on Instagram letting our readers know what we posted for today. Social media is key for bloggers because without it how would we connect with our readers? Having a hobby/job that is completely based on the internet isn’t always easy. To make a blog successful, you have to always be on your game. Sharing the most interesting post or photos that look aesthetically pleasing. To be honest, the photos that get the most likes on Instagram aren’t the ones from a real life. They are the ones of staged products or quotes or what your shopping haul was for the day. Not the photos of your child seeing the beach for the first time, or for that matter, your child melting down. No one wants to see your messy house or makeup that has been used. Everyone wants to see things that are nice, perfect and shiny. Not real life.
Because of this, I spend hours a day on social media thinking about what my next post for the day will be. Will I take a picture of my food that hasn’t been touched or of my toddler having a melt down at the restaurant? Well if I want to keep my followers on social media I had better post the food pic. It is hard to be completely real on social media as a blogger. To get accepted into campaigns with companies you must have a current amount of daily page views on your blog and a current number of followers on social media. I have done very few sponsored posts because of this. I am a newbie blogger so my reader views and followers numbers aren’t there yet. Don’t get me wrong, I love posting photos of beautiful pictures because I love photography in general. So it is easy for me to want to take photos that are always aesthetically pleasing. The hard part? Wanting to share some of what my real life looks like with my readers. Every time I do this I lose followers. Anytime I post a photo of Charlotte or anything that doesn’t look perfect I lose followers, which hurts my chances of making this hobby I love so much into a real career. Which leads my to my next confession…
T-Shirt[Be Bona•Fide]// Photo credit: Amy Hess Photography
Social Media Effect my Mood….
Social media effects my life in the way of my daily mood as well. I worry about what people think about me more now than I did as a freshman in high school. If I lose a follower or 10, I wonder why they didn’t like me. Or if I had low views on my Facebook post, I feel like no one cares what I have to say. When I see that my friend has posted a post/pic of social media and hasn’t texted me back, I instantly start thinking she is mad at me. Like if she posted a pic she has for sure seen my text? Or when I read a rude tweet from someone that I am not on great terms with that isn’t completely clear who they are talking about…I think they are talking about me. When I see friends out and about having a good time without me I get jealous. And not just what they think about me… what they have that I don’t. When I see someone with a new Starbucks cup, or MK bag or new outfits/makeup, I instantly start thinking I need those things as well. I obsess about buying new items to blog about or Instagram a pic of. I am going to get a little “if he is just not that into you” for a sec…”I had this guy leave me a voice mail at work so I called him at home and then he e-mailed me to my Blackberry and so I texted to his cell and then he e-mailed me to my home account and the whole thing just got out of control. And I miss the days when you had one phone number and one answering machine and that one answering machine has one cassette tape and that one cassette tape either had a message from a guy or it didn’t. And now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It’s exhausting.” I mean am I right? This girl was on to something. There are too many social media outlets, it is exhausting, its like keeping up with the Joneses. There is always something bigger and better when it comes to social media.
Do you think you spend too much time on your phone? Does Social media effect your mood?
Jasmine says
I agree with you. I spend way too much time on my phone because I’m always worried about my social media accounts and what the next person is doing. Showcasing what I got from Ulta or Sephora, food, etc.. I need to set aside my phone and start focusing on whats important.
Whitney says
Jasmine, it is so hard to be a blogger and not have your phone in your hand 24/7
Autumn says
I love this post! One of my confessions would probably be more like: I let anxiety control my life. I’m getting better, but I’m not there 🙂 .
Whitney says
It is funny you say that! My next confession is about my anxiety !