If you read my post last week on my struggle with balancing life and social media, you will know that I have been feeling a little overwhelmed lately. Judging by the responses to the post it sounds like most of you are feeling the same way. Some of the comments and messages I received made me realize there was more that I wanted to say on this subject. Social media has been such a wonderful addition to our society. It allows people from all over the world to connect and share experiences that we wouldn’t normally have access to. But it does have its negatives.

I was a senior in high school when Facebook was really becoming a thing. Before that we all had MySpace, which were really just mini blogs. Social media was not a part of my childhood or even my formative years. For that I will always be grateful. I can’t even imagine how challenging it must be to grow up with front row seats to everyone else’s “highlight reel.” Social media is fun as long as you remember that not everything is always what it seems.

If you couldn’t tell, I have been spending a lot of time lately thinking about social media, blogging and my place in all of this. And after taking a step back over the past few weeks, I feel like I’m starting to see a few things more clearly. The first and most important is that you have to stay true to who you are. Whether you are a blogger or not, chances are that you use social media. So it’s important that you only share what represents who you are. Your profiles are an online resume and should always be “on brand”. It is easy to get caught up in trying to do what everyone else is doing, but your unique perspective is really what people want to see.

Second, likes and followers do not equal your worth as a person. Like I said earlier, Facebook was becoming “the thing” right as I was heading off to college. I can still remember people saying things like “I have X many Facebook friends, and so-and-so only has X.” Even back then this comparison game bothered me. The size of a social media following can mean a great deal for influencers, but it has nothing to do with the person and who they are at the end of the day. Enjoy your online community, no matter what the size. It’s wonderful to have like-minded people to connect with online, but also spend time with the people who are physically there for you.

The third thing that I have come to realize goes along with the second. It’s important to understand that the public numbers of social media are deceiving. You might envy someone who has thousands of Instagram followers and feel jealous of the likes or engagement they have. But there are so many different things that could be going on behind the scenes. They might be able to dedicate hours to social media and building relationships with people. They could also be buying their engagement. Who knows?! You’ve probably heard the expression “don’t count other people’s money”. I feel like this applies to social media. Don’t be so concerned about someone else’s follower count, you never have the full story.

Last but not least, remember what social media is really about. It’s social and built on relationships, so if you are going to be part of the online world, enjoy it for what it is. I’ve only recently come to realize this for myself. Like anything else in life, you will get what you give. Approach it with positivity and you will see how much easier it is to enjoy! xo Bryn