Over the decade, social media has become an important part of our lives. Most people check their social media handles first thing in the morning, and it is like our life revolves around the social handles we have. Everyone tries to capture and share every moment of their lives to make the world believe about their ‘interesting’ lives. Social media has become an integral part of our lives to the extent that the experts argue on its positive and negative effects on our lives.
One might argue how social media has made it comfortable and easy for us to reconnect with your old friends and families. It increases the number of friends or followers you have and boosts the reach and chances for getting more likes on a picture. But others noticed that they feel discontent, distant, and disconnected while sharing pictures with unknown followers. Some people are even afraid of unknown people checking and liking their pictures. Many people believe that it is a threat to let unknown people (with whom you’ve never spoken to) see your pictures as they can probably turn out to be stalkers or thieves, keeping an eye on your movements.
It is a whole another story when you use the social media platform to find your long-lost friends and reconnect after ages. You probably wouldn’t even mind letting the friends of friends seeing your activity. It is fascinating to see what your high school best friends are up to, or how your old friends have grown up to be the person they always wanted to become. Usually, such interactions would happen during reunions, but social media fills the gap and allows you to rebuild a relationship.
However, you choose to communicate and share with your old schoolmates; everything will turn out to have its own set of pros and cons. You might have a huge following, but the number of likes and comments you receive is nowhere equal to your follower’s list. In such a case, you might want to reconsider the people you allow to check your life or everything you post on your account.
These days, many people remain fixated on the number of followers they have and the likes they receive. It seems like their self-worth or self-esteem is entirely based on the acknowledgment they get from their followers. Experts observed that negative comments or lack of online acknowledgment bother such types of people. Social media sometimes encourages fake beauty standards that destroy a lot of young minds and slump their confidence and self-love. People start to believe in harmful beauty standards, and it can sometimes become life-threatening.
Fortunately, people learn to shatter any fake norms set by social media and society with time and age. People also learn the value of a small and elite friend circle. Every follower is not your friend or isn’t someone who appreciates you. You can find a lot of social media controversies on an issue when someone hidden behind an anonymous identity tried belittling the people they follow.
It is imperative to detach our social media identities from our real selves. One shouldn’t even share personal and intimate pictures and videos with everyone they are friends with on social media. One has to be careful and share the private pictures with people they trust and value the most.
Moreover, experts believe that users should keep cleaning up their social media with time, especially when applying for jobs. Many employers around the world judge you based on your internet and social media footprints. Having a small yet powerful following will boost your social image and reduce any chances of being embarrassed by pictures your interviewee shouldn’t have seen. You should also check the pictures you’re tagged in and remove the tags from unnecessary pictures.
Whether you are a social media influencer or regular desk job employee, your social media handle acts as your brand. Thus, it would be best if you are careful about the things you post, people you follow, and your followers as these things say a lot about you.
Mind that having a large and good following can allow you to make some new and impressive connections and help you land your dream internship or job. So, it is always a good idea to reconsider the followers and following you have. You can keep your account in private mode to make your posts more meaningful, and it will also prevent the unknown people from barging into your privacy. Overall, it is essential to maintain a positive social media boundary for yourself.
Source-Why You Should Set Boundaries on Social Media
