Using Social Media to My Advantage

I thought for my very first post, why not talk about the thing that actually pushed me to this blogging world.

Social Media... 

I can't be the only person who tends to sit on their phone and gets lost scrolling into the black hole. I've realized that over the years, social media has evolved.  Remember Myspace...AIM? Remember spending all that time rearranging your "top 8" and making sure you had a fire ass layout with music playing?  You weren't the shit if you didn't have music playing in your background...Remember when your boyfriend/girlfriend would piss you off and you wrote long "away messages" to make sure they read it? Interestingly enough, I enjoyed those moments on social media.

Today we have sites like Facebook, and apps like Instagram.... Initially these platforms were created to allow us to remain in contact and share moments with people who weren't around to experience them with us. But, somehow, somewhere along the lines, things became advanced and really became platforms for people to express themselves. My issue with current social media is that it makes it so easy and inevitable for people to lie and deceive others. Now at 28, I utilize my social media differently than I would have years ago. I realize while I am not alone, in letting social media get to me, I learned how to use it to my advantage. I would scroll through my timeline and realized I followed a lot of people from Boston that utilized social media to express political beliefs, nightly outings, and local people from the hood posting things I never understood why they would even broadcast those things.  Yet one day, I realized I didn't get on social media to see any of that, I solely have social media to get inspired. I have accounts on platforms that allow me to know what the new fashion trends are, what sales are approaching and what new makeup products are launching, and things of that sort. 

This then transitioned to me revamping my social media to be tailored to my personal esthetic or mood I am feeling. I unfollowed every account on Instagram that did not inspire me to be a better person or that did not inspire my passion for makeup, fashion, blogging, and creating content for the world to see. Ever since then, I enjoy social media in a different light. I know y'all thinking okay this girl tripping... How can social media make her feel a way? But think about it... you get so sucked into pictures and posts that seem so real... and forget people can lie on these platforms and you would have no clue because you aren't there.  

Additionally, I know people who have told me that they too found that social media can be apart of their insecurities.  You find yourself comparing other peoples success to your real life. While, I don't think that makes you insecure or weak, I do believe that it is completely natural for us to look at someone else's life and wonder. But the most important take away is that you follow people who inspire you to level up, rather than people who make you feel less than. And also realize what you seek from social media, and what you want social media to do for you...like I did. 

My instagram revolves around the concept that I like to get dressed up, and do my makeup from motherhood, to random real life posts, like this one here.  To share my love for things that I know other people also love is satisfying.  

And if you're one of those people who feel like social media is taking too much from you, than adding to your successes - please realize everything isn't what it seems to be.

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Jas.