Genuineness wins
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In the past few weeks, I have had an unexpected medical issue.
On my social media feeds, I resisted the idea of mentioning it, mostly because I didn’t want the attention.
I posted article links, jokes about Elon Musk, and I tried to keep my normal schedule, which included mentioning productivity tips as well as the book that I wrote on habit formation this year.
My view changed after I tried the BeReal app.
The app encourages genuine posting. That’s what it looks like!
My test was over and I felt like a pawn in the hands of major social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. They ask us to upload the highlights of our lives.
Realistically, these posts gain more attention on social media. When a staged photo pops up, more people click “like” which in turn feeds the algorithm and shows us more ads. One could argue that social media sites are successful due to everyone sharing the greatest moments in our lives. Never post the worst.
We have finally realized, in late 2022 that self-esteem helps social media companies more then it helps us.
When in truth, there’s more to life that the good times. Full disclosure that I’m part of the problem. Since the beginning of this blog, I have not posted any stories about my personal struggles in 10 years. Like many of you, it’s “me, me, me” all of the time, but it’s rarely about my struggles or problems.
We are looking to be recognized for what we have achieved, and not for our failures.
It could be this that created the subversive culture of social media. They are skilled at spotting pride. Trolls are always on the alert for others who may be promoting their own cause. “Oh sure, look at you. That’s a nice photo. But you have no idea what you are talking about.”
None of us can be awesome if everyone else is great. Guess what? It turns us all into trolls. You are more valuable than my best moments. The trolls are winning because we’ve all become trolls, and we’re all on the hunt to be best.
That is why I am here.
As humans, we’re in a constant state of failure. None of us can “keep up appearances” at all times. This is what my health problem serves as a stark reminder.
Perfection is not possible, and maybe in 2023 we’ll start making progress on admitting that. BeReal was an important step toward ending the vicious cycle that is constant narcissistic behavior via social media. The app gained popularity because some of its users realized this.
Here it all gets personal.
Technology can make it easier to do good or for evil. One example of this is social media. You can make it all about products, the influencer lifestyles and sharing our achievements. It eventually becomes tedious and repetitive.
You can use social media to communicate and help other people, as well as to raise awareness about atrocities around the globe. Social media can serve as a tool for destruction and empowerment. The revenue generated by advertising on social media might decrease, but it might help the human race. We’ll start supporting each other instead of knocking each other down.
You are the first to make it happen.
Each user decides to share real life stories.
I’ll start. When I mention this article on social media, I’ll also mention the medical issue. I don’t mean because I want sympathy or more clicks. I mean because it’s Real life. I mean because it’s about time for some reality.
Isn’t “real life” what we all want anyway?
A fake life on social media isn’t that satisfying in the long run, at least once you’ve been living that way for years. All of us want authenticity. Do you agree?
The post Here’s Why 2023 Will Be The Year Authentic Social Media Goes Mainstream appeared first on Social Media Explorer.
