Embracing a new trend or era can be a difficult task for the uninitiated. Embracing a platform that encourages mass sharing of seemingly useless content for which you are perpetually judged by unwritten, yet lofty, standards is downright insanity. Having a Fear of Social Media can mean you are resisting the urge to conform to posting regrettable selfies. Or it means you are spiralling out of control. Spiralling towards a life of endless scrolling through pictures of people you will never meet. Either way, it makes for a great hashtag!
Down-Voting Your Fear of Social Media
Imagine how awkward and/or frightening it must have been to open an email for the first time from a fellow Y2K-survivor. Gone were the days of friends calling you or simply showing up at your door to share a funny joke or anecdote for you to smirk at then completely forget about moments later. Even more horrifying would have been the first time you logged into your favourite Social Media platform. Maybe you accidentally posted an update you weren’t quite ready to share yet. Maybe it was a dog meme without a finished caption or maybe it was posting a live stream of how your stomach was feeling upon returning from your trip abroad. Having a Fear of Social Media can strike it anytime and probably will be re-shared by dozens at your expense.
Since the invention of the selfie-stick, the world has seemingly crumbled apart faster than you can figure out what FOMO stands for. It’s true that people have become more dependent of their cell phones for important tasks. Tasks like for navigating through a foreign land. Or trying to determine whether it’s raining or not by checking an app rather than looking out a window. The phone is also the gateway to a proverbial Hell on Earth in which every human being is doomed to bump into poles, cars, or other people while staring at their screens waiting for someone to Tweet. It’s a lifestyle.
How to Unfollow Your Fear of Social Media
Like any Fear that seems completely made-up until you really start to think about it, Fear of Social might appear to be something you can watch from afar. You might believe it will never impact your life. False! Whether it’s from 2004 or 2019, if you have a Social Media profile, you are already on the cusp of Fear. Were you peer-pressured into creating a profile? Were you feeling compelled to share pictures of your goldfish doing tricks because you thought no one would believe you? Everyone just wants to feel important, wanted, and mildly interesting in the eyes of the world. Thankfully, the Internet is a safe place where no one ever judges your actions and everyone does their part to ensure every post is met with approval and applause.
The easiest way to cure yourself of a Fear of Social Media is a simple one. Delete your accounts. Start staring at the world through the lens of your eyes instead of 4 megapixels at a time. Alternatively, you can select the ‘only friends can view this post’ option for your updates. At least then you know the only people who will be following your every move are the people you’ve actually met IRL. That’s Internet-speak for something to do with leaving the house once in a while.
On an unrelated note, please Like and Share this post. We also have Instagram now! Isn’t Social Media just the best?