Rebecca has decided to take a break from social media. The last thing she needs when going through a period of change is looking at how perfect other people’s lives are. Unfortunately, she was retrenched and money is tight. She has had to take a look at how she spends money and every coin counts. Her time also goes into looking for work.
Rebecca realized that she was getting depressed when she went on social media. Everybody else looks like they have it together. She felt that her life has stalled. Even posts from her friends about work have made her feel that there is something wrong with her. They have pictures of themselves thriving and attending conferences in luxurious venues. The truth of the matter is that things are rarely the glitz and glam that is projected on social media. Some people have even made a career out of looking like they have an untarnished life.
The reality tends to be very different. Here are some of the twisted financial lies that are seen;
- The lifestyle lie is quite major!
To Rebecca having to cut down on spending highlighted to her how everybody else seems to have endless buckets of money to keep wining and dining at great restaurants. I have heard of people who will choose restaurants according to how “Instagram” worthy it is. Other people look like they are always on holiday and have the finances to keep going to these luxurious resorts. I wonder whether they are actually enjoying the holiday or it’s just about the number of pictures that they can post online. There are others who are always buying something. Clothes, lipstick, shoes and we feel like we should do the same. They make it seem like life is one big shopping spree.
Remember, people choose to share only the good stuff. They don’t share the stress when the credit card bill arrived. Or the coins they had to count to cover the bill. They definitely did not post the chapati and ndengu they had for dinner. They won’t admit to borrowing to keep up this illusion. They won’t show the fights that are going on at home over spending. Don’t ever try to keep up with what you see online, it might not be the truth.
2. Nobody’s life is perfect 24-7!
The other lie that this leads to is that; ‘what other people think is important’. Even people you don’t know that well. When life becomes about how many likes, comments or shares you get, it can get very stressful. Why do we place so much emphasis on other people’s opinions? This is why some people will spend thousands just to post on social media. For the short-term
high
they will receive from all the attention. It doesn’t last because the bar is always being raised. Because they need another high to keep posting online. It is very easy to find yourself doing things simply so that other people can see. Not necessarily because you enjoy them or value them. Take a moment and think about it!
3. We think we are not good enough.
Take Rebecca for example. As she saw other people jet-setting she began to think it is her fault that she got retrenched. “It’s clearly not happening to other people,” she thought. Of course, it is happening to others but maybe they will not do a post on it. Social media can cheat us that unless everything in life is going perfectly, there is something wrong with us. Then we do what we can to project this perfect life even if it means begging, borrowing or stealing.
You may not trend online but it does not mean you are not enough just the way you are. If you do find yourself getting depressed and feeling bad about yourself because of social media it may be time to take a break, just like Rebecca. This break helps bring you back to reality so that you can go out and seek real connections. Find real people with real experiences to talk to. The cost of the time we spend on social media is also high. We can do courses on the same amount of time when you add it all together. So before you try to keep up or feel bad about your own life, remember the picture painted in front of you is not always telling the full story.
Waceke runs programs on Personal Finance Management and Entrepreneurship . Registration is currently open and ongoing through our website centonomy.com For more information get in touch with her through waceken@centonomy.com /Facebook-Waceke Nduati /Tweet @cekenduati