Unfollowed

Social Media. It’s a beautiful thing. It connects people that we love and people who have never met that have the same interest, mutual friends, or simply people who fangirl over their favorite “stars”. As soon as MySpace was available we were all about connecting. Even trying our best to make it to a friends “Top 10”. I remember when Facebook started and I didn’t have access because my bible college didn’t have a university email address! Now, there are too many social media outlets to count. No matter what you’re into, there is some type of “space” created for you to connect with like-minded people.

One thing I’ve gotten into lately is social media analytics. A few months ago I made my Instagram account into a business account just to see how people respond to what I post. [Yea, I’m nosey like that.] I could see how many accounts have seen my post compared to how many people like and comment. It’s so interesting to me! But then I started finding myself over thinking when I should post, what I should post, ect. I also downloaded an analytics app. Let me just say, I deleted that thing quick. It was fun to know about what people liked but it was not fun to get a notification saying “SOMEONE UNFOLLOWED YOU“. Like WHAT?! There are people out there that don’t want to follow me? [How Rude!] It’s one thing when it’s businesses or people you don’t even know, but what happens when it’s actually people you know?!

What is it about followers that gives us so much pride? As if people following us gives us any more value than the next person. As if how we live our lives is dependent on the amount of people watching our every move. It’s quite disheartening to know that something that was meant to connect people and bring simple joy also has the power to tear people down and bring anxiety and shame.

Let me remind you : YOU ARE VALUABLE. Someone needs what you have to offer the world. And the number of people following you on the internet are not the only people that will benefit.

One thing I’ve learned is to be confident in who I am. There are going to be people who take the time to get to know me and love me for who I am. But there will also be people who will not. All they see is a snapshot of who I am and they determine if I’m worth following. I’m not gonna lie, I want people to like me! But I would much rather be loved for who I truly am. Not for a fake me.

So lets decided today that we won’t let social media dictate our worth. Not all that shimmers is gold. And not all social media is real life. Be the best you possible and you will inspire those around you.