Facebook or Fakebook – you be the judge.

Well hello again travellers and welcome to the blog,

Today I am once again reminding you of some things to be aware of as you travel down life’s path. Things that I find I need to be wary of myself. And one of the most misleading things to be mindful of in this age of social media, is in my opinion Facebook – or” Fakebook “as I believe it could also be called.

Why do I say this you may ask?

Well – it is because of my own personal experiences with this medium and what I have observed on it.

Myriads of friends and acquaintances posting how wonderful their lives are with big happy smiles and oodles of pictures of great deeds, wonderful adventures and exciting tales.

But then – when I meet up with them – they collapse in a heap and reveal how ” not so fabulous life is treating them?”

So why the facade?

Well – if you are expecting me to answer this question for you, I am afraid that I have nothing for you ha ha ha.

I am merely wanting to remind you, that not all is as it appears to be in our world of social media. Just why we are all so obsessed with posting images of us ” having a fabulous time” – all the time – is a bit of a mystery. But the desire for us to to have everyone else think we are living some sort of  “perfect life”  seems compelling to many.

For this reason, I think it is really important to be mindful that when it comes to the Honesty Stakes – Facebook may not be the winning ticket. So if you are comparing your life, to all the lives of those people on Facebook, you may not be comparing apples with apples shall we say. It is much like comparing your “un-doctored body” that you see reflected back to you in the mirror at home , with those images from the glossy magazines, that most likely have been edited to within an inch of their original form.

So the message today is simply  -  to be aware.

Be aware that there is no obligation at all for people to represent the true reality of their lives on Facebook.

Be aware that there is no obligation at all for people to reveal their true feelings about anything or anyone on Facebook.

Be aware that people can create personas to suit their own agendas, needs and emotional situations on Facebook.

Maybe creating a “perfect life” on Facebook and other social media platforms allows people to feel better about their real life situation?

Maybe living in this imaginary world allows people to avoid real issues, rather than deal with them effectively?

Maybe  spending hours in a “fantasy world” leaves no time for playing in the real world and dealing with things that really could do with some attention?

Who knows?

Only each individual can answer this question for themselves?

So if you spend a lot of time on Facebook or engaging in other social media platforms, perhaps just ask yourself two questions:

1. Why do I spend so much time in this “fantastical world” instead of in my real world? And do I think I spend too much time there?

2. Do I compare myself and my life with other people on these mediums?  And if so –  what effect is this constant “comparing” of myself to them having on my life, my self esteem and my confidence levels?

As I always say –  the A Bridge To You blog is not about telling you how to live your life. But rather, pointing out things that you may look at, that may help you to live a more productive, happy and reassuring existence.

If you think you could do with looking at this aspect of your life – then answer those questions above and make the changes you need to sustain yourself, in a happy and meaningful way.

If you think you have social media and its impacts under control in your world – then disregard and move happily onwards in the way that is best for you.

But for me – I know it is something to be aware of, as I can find myself sliding into what I call ” comparison – mode” quite easily, when it comes to Instagram and Facebook. So I always make sure to remind myself that people tend to only represent the best of themselves in these mediums and that everyone has challenges in life. We are all just doing the best we can.

Whatever I see and read I think to myself: Don’t Panic – You are Doing Fine ha ha ha.

So I guess that is my simple message today.

Don’t worry what anyone else is up to.They are on their own personal journey.

And no matter what you read, see or hear….

No matter what it says on Facebook…..and no matter what you think you know about someone else’s life.

Remember -we are all just doing the best we can. And often the difficult bits are not on display for everyone else to see.

#DiscoverYouLoveYouBeYou

Christine