My dear friend Katherine started a podcast called Soul Chats earlier this year. Every week, she invites guests to dive deeper into their passions, from how to be more environmentally conscious to embracing body positivity. Even when I don’t know the guest, each chat always gives me something to think about, and I’m so glad I got to be on this week’s episode! We talk all about our experiences on social media and how we try to use it with more intention. If you’d like to give it a listen, I’ve embedded the Spotify player to the bottom of this post, but you can also listen on Apple Podcasts.
During our conversation, Katherine asks me about how I deal with social and physical comparison, and I answer that it doesn’t really affect me. While this is true for me now at 23 years old, it wasn’t always the case. I didn’t explain it further on the podcast, so I’ll give context below.
Social media has been part of my life since 2014, and it’s been crazy to watch it evolve over the years and see how much power we have given it. The ability to share our lives on the internet for the world to see has enabled us to connect, but it has also allowed us to compare.
Comparison was an issue for me back when I was younger. When I was 18 or 19, and I was still new to photography and I would see other photographers on Instagram going out and shooting and working with models all the time, while I was still in school. I would compare my work to theirs, and it would make me feel like I wasn’t good enough and I wasn’t doing enough. I just had to stop following those photographers and travel bloggers that would make me feel less satisfied with my life. I also don’t follow any celebrities (except for Taylor Swift) or anyone who flaunts their wealth. I don’t follow models or fitness accounts that make me feel bad about my body. I mostly follow people I actually know and creators making inspirational, uplifting content. At this point, my feed doesn’t contain any posts that make me feel insecure or unhappy with my life and that has made my experience with Instagram a lot better. The content you see and interact with every day does affect you. Instagram can be a positive platform, it just depends on who you follow and allow onto your feed.
If you’re looking for more ways to improve your use of social media, check out my post: 8 Ways to Improve Your Relationship with Instagram.
