SL 63
UnFiltered
Story by Allex Looper + Hannah Robertson Photography by Tina Pham
I
t’s happened to the best of us. You’re scrolling through Instagram and suddenly see your best friend from high school laying on a beach, glowing, happy and carefree. One look around your small, cramped dorm room and at the pile of homework gathering on your desk, and it’s clear that one of you is doing better than the other. Or at least, it appears that way, because of the power of social media. The purpose of social media differs from user to user. Some people use it for business and promotional purposes, others use it for fun, and some use it simply because everybody else does. This variety of purposes and objectives lead to different opinions on the value of social media, and whether or not it has a positive impact on our lives. One of the biggest problems with social media is the negative effect it can have on the user’s confidence and self-worth. Raylee Hays, a student at University of Missouri, stopped using popular social media platforms when it all became too much. “I quit using Instagram because of the pressure of posting, having good pictures, and having a consistent theme.” She also touched on how Instagram is causing FOMO (fear of missing out) to become a big deal. “It ties into comparing yourself to others,” Hays says. “I always felt like I had to measure up.” For Hays, the pressures of social media became the reason to stay away. Apps that were originally meant to connect, share and spread love to one another, became a source of stress, competitiveness and self-doubt. By deleting her Instagram, she allowed that weight and negativity to fall off her shoulders. That said, many people still use social media despite knowing the potential effects, but they do so with caution.