Does anyone else feel the pressure to show off or look good when using Instagram

Amara 94 · #1 21st October 2020, 10:28

I can't really delete my account though I have done so before. I like instagram but it makes me feel the need to show off. I feel like recently I have to keep some space on it.

Dougella · #2 21st October 2020, 13:29

No, I try not to use it that way at all and I deliberately don't follow accounts that are unrealistically positive, or competitive in that way because I think it would probably have a negative effect on me. I think it's better not to follow any accounts that make you feel negative in any way or cause you to feel inadequate about yourself.

Jen. · #3 21st October 2020, 14:31

I only follow friends, family and photography accounts so don't feel any pressure at all to do anything or appear like anything on there. I only upload "photography" photos and not everyday life stuff or selfies, and that's primarily to get feedback. I suppose this is down to social anxiety in a way (feelings that people don't like me and find me irritating, boring, unpleasant, etc, and so wouldn't be interested in anything I uploaded directly related to me), but I'm sort of glad I never fell into that because it doesn't seem to benefit anyone and it only has negative consequences.

A while ago I went through a period of only posting photos of disgusting or realistic things as a response to the fake depictions of reality that the app is known for. E.g. a dead rat covered in flies that I saw while on a hike, rather than any nice scenery I saw during the hike. A manicured flowerbed next to a bin with "glass waste only" written on it that someone had pulled the GL off. Things like that. It was fun for a while intentionally taking photos of the things people would crop out or avoid.

Things like Instagram are only what you've chosen them to be like. If it's making you feel something you don't want to feel then change how it appears to you or try to stop using it so much. How you view the world through social media is entirely up to you. It feels like you're on a hamster wheel when it comes to this stuff sometimes though, this subject seems to come up a lot. Have you ever tried using an app that tells you how much time you're spending on each app? The results can be very interesting/alarming.

Amara 94 · #4 21st October 2020, 16:47

Iâ€™ve actually taken a few days off Instagram recently.

Amara 94 · #5 21st October 2020, 21:49

Maybe I need to a bigger break tbh and yeah it is about me as to why IG makes me feel a certain way.

Orwell20 · #6 23rd October 2020, 14:31

I always feel worse for having been on Instagram, just as I always feel better after walking in the countryside. It's amazing that I know my triggers, and know what makes me happy, yet I still do the things that make me miserable. Why? Laziness and habit I guess

Mellie · #7 23rd October 2020, 15:00

I don't use Instagram, I do use facebook though. Kind of feel the pressure a bit to keep up with everyone but as I don't do much with my life I can't really show off lol.

roro_1990 · #8 23rd October 2020, 16:26

I don't use any of the main social media platforms. They are terrible for my mental health. Any time I go down the rabbit-hole of negative comparisons with other people, it starts with seeing a picture or post on social media from someone who seems to be winning at life compared to me, especially in terms of popularity, number of friends who care about them, etc. I also view them as a colossal waste of time because I never feel anything positive when using social media.

Dougella · #9 23rd October 2020, 17:23

^ Same. Also when someone keeps posting photos of their life in order to make other people think that everything is great I tend to think it definitely must not be!

Orwell20 · #10 23rd October 2020, 18:07

NLH^^^

But seeing other people smiling on a beach in Australia surrounded by their gorgeous friends does make you feel worse. Watching youtube clips of people saying "you know what, my life is utter ****. I've got no friends. I'm bullied at work. I'm poor, unloved and depressed", on the other hand, makes me feel better. I don't take pleasure in their pain, but I do feel less alone. I am so sorry for the young today. I hated school, but at least when the day of bullying and misery was done, I could come home and switch off. Now there's no escape. It doesn't surprise me that young girls are cutting themselves, or that the rates of depression and anxiety have shot up in the last 20 years. They are constantly bombarded with reminders of what life should be. Of what it could be. Of what you could look like, the friends and fun you could have. Social media is a 24 hour "haha, **** you, look at what you're missing out on." When I was young, I knew I was missing out on fun and happiness and sex, but at least it wasn't rubbed in my face.

roro_1990 · #11 23rd October 2020, 19:45

^ Fully agree. The whole point is that social media delivers a flawed or at least inaccurate perception of the lifestyles of other people, which can easily make people with cognitive distortions (like me) feel worse about their lives than they ought to feel.

Is my life objectively shit or a failure? No. Are there aspects of my life that I wish had been different? Yes. Does spending time on social media make me feel worse about the aspects of my life that I wish were different because it gives me a flawed perception of how exciting others' lives are or how good other people have it? Absolutely.