Happy 2018 – Day 124 – When you’re scrolling through Facebook, just remember…

Here’s a Machiavelli quote that I’ve pulled from my all new and exciting 6-Minute Diary:

“Everyone sees what you appear to be,
few experience what you really are.”

Since I’ve embarked on my new path teaching Wellbeing workshops in schools, I’ve been thinking a lot about social media. While I don’t believe that we can blame all of mankind’s problems on Instagram, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the current generation of social-media savvy primary and secondary school students are apparently the unhappiest they’ve ever been.

We all put on appearances at times and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’m sure that many people, especially as they get older, feel that they only a small handful of people know the real them. And that’s fine!

The problem is when we forget that when we’re scrolling through pictures of people’s perfect selfies, beach scenes and new car pics, that we’re seeing a presentation of someone’s life.

We’re not really seeing them. 

When I talk to the kids about this, I tell them that it’s like thinking that Chris Hemsworth walks around each day in his Thor outfit, smashing is hammer about the place. He’s an actor, playing a part. Just as someone’s flawless picture on Facebook is an act, not a real person.

My Facebook account, like so many others, is a collection of my very best moments in life; the interesting bits amongst the mundane. It’s no real reflection of my day-to-day activities.

I adore technology. It’s opened up a world of learning and communication at my fingertips.

But I limit my social media use. And when I scroll through social media and begin comparing my life to that of my ‘friends’, I remind myself that it isn’t real and that they most likely took 50 pictures before choosing that perfect selfie. #NoFilter.