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Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Is Social Media Toxic? I Don't Think So.

If you feel like you need a break from social media, or as they say, a "social media detox", maybe...maybe you're simply following the wrong accounts. In my opinion, your feed should be your mood booster, your daily source of inspirations. Instagram-ing should be that time where you get to scroll and smile and feel "oh wow that's awesome" and motivate you to do or feel great afterwards. 

In order to do this, I highly suggest you to follow accounts that showcase their work, NOT their looks or latest purchases or which fancy hotel they are currently at. Follow "ideas" so you feel inspired, not "somebody's life" that leaves you feeling jealous or left out or eager wanting to keep up. 

If you're into fitness, follow accounts that make you feel like you want to move and exercise because it will make you feel happy and good about yourself, not a fitness account that makes you feel like you need to have that perfect peachy butt. The goal is to be healthy and fit, not necessarily toned with flat abs and a thigh gap. This is the difference. We do not need to fall into the trap that a "great body" is a body that is _____. Embrace your own body. Stay active to be healthy. Do not be obsessed with a certain look or body weight. 

If you're into fashion, follow accounts that make you understand that style is personal and fashion should make you feel empowered. Understand that one does NOT need to keep up with the fast pace of fashion influencers always having the latest 'it' bags. It is an illusion, a competition you do not need to participate in. Here's an example why: many fashion influencers often share photos of them with new designer bags regardless these bags were gifted to them or borrowed. Imagine an actual follower wanting to always keep up with their favorite influencer, said follower would actually spend $1,500 for that bag. Ironically, the actual influencer didn't even own / buy that bag, they just took pictures with it as photo props. It's nobody's fault, of course. But while fashion influencers keep sharing new #OOTDs that make you want to buy what they are wearing, they are not spending a dime. In contrary, a follower might end up spending all their salary for the things they see on social media trying to replicate somebody else's feed. So stop. Buy the things YOU actually love. Shop smarter. Browse an actual shop yourself and see which products truly make you fall in love. Buy something because it sparks joy in YOU, not because somebody on Instagram was wearing it.

If you're into traveling, I suggest following a certain #hashtag compared to following a traveling influencer. Sometimes, we get caught up with the person instead of the actual place. Instead of thinking "oh what a beautiful island, I need to save up to visit that place soon", as human beings we often end up thinking "oh she's there and she's taking great photos there, I need to do that too", which basically means you're missing the point of traveling. Traveling should be about the place or the experience, not another bucket list competition because of your #FOMO with other people. By following a certain #hashtag like #waterfall or #lavenderfield, you're putting the emphasis on the place, not the person. 

I've been following only artists, designers, brands that I love so much and news / media accounts, and my Instagram is actually my happy place because I like what I see.

13 comments:

Endah April said...

This is why I only follow Indonesian Diana Rikasari and Nicsap on Instagram

Aida Rosyida said...

My appaluse for Mbak Endah :D wkwk. Tulisan Mbak DIana kali ini emang sesuai banget sih sama aku. Aku beberapa bulan ini merasa overwhelming bgt sama media sosial samapai uninstall ig, fb dan Twitter. Tapi sekarang sedikit sedikit mulai buka lagi dan cuma buka postingan atau igs yang aku butuhkan aja, mengurangi following yang tidak spark joy juga.

Jane Reggievia said...

Can't agree anymore (:

Diandra Shafwah said...

I do think so, not the social media but the account i followed

Irma said...

Akupun suka medsos mbak, ak juga foollow yg membuayku terinspirasi. Bukan kepo kehidupan orang. Alhasil, bnyk kemajuan yg ak dpt alhamdulillah dr medsos. 😍

Anis said...

Hello! I am one of your silent reader and always enjoyed your long post like this. Thank you! 🤍

A,
Malaysia

Anonymous said...

setuju, pemilihan follow konten emang berpengaruh. tapi harus mengakui kalau nggak semua hari kita bisa merasa terinspirasi. dan hal tsb bisa dilakukan dengan social media detox. terlalu banyak berselancar di internet juga bikin kita kadang lupa waktu. dengan mengurangi porsi membuka social media, kita bisa fokus ke hal-hal lain seperti menekuni kegemaran atau menemukan kegemaran baru. saya pribadi merasakan sendiri bagaimana saat mati listrik, tidak ada sinyal atau gawai rusak saya sangat kesepian seperti ada yang kurang karena tidak bisa membuka sosial media. tapi setelah mencoba detox dari sosmed, saya menjadi lebih tenang dan tidak ada perasaan 'wajib' segera memanjakan mata dari illustrator atau fotografer favorit yang saya follow. 😊

Dini Nuari said...

Such a wonderful insight Mbak Diana :)

Unknown said...

Such a wonderful insight Mbak Diana, thankyou :)

Haloreka said...

True. Aku juga sependapat. Makanya aku selalu mikir kalau "menyaring following" itu udah jadi hal penting dalam bermain media sosial. Thankyou for sharing kak Diana..

Bella Tricahayu said...

haii mba diana ,aku baru dateng didunia bloger ni,,makasih sudah menginspirasi blog ini.saya banyak belajar dari konten anda..
mari kunjungi blog tugas kuliah saya.coment yang membangun sangat berarti
bellatricahayu.blogspot.com
instagram : @bellatricahayu

ofisuredii said...

Thank you for writing this diana :) I feel overwhelmed by instagram lately.

dewi said...

agree with kak diana...medsos bagaikan pedang bermata dua

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