By 
The holidays have become a conquest for having the greatest amount of likes on Instagram. It starts by stopping everything we’re doing, taking out our phones, and taking a dozen photos from every possible angle. We then spend another ten minutes contemplating a caption. Should I choose the lyrics of Beyonce’s new album or should I stick to the emojis? Now it’s time for a filter and God knows how long it will take.
An hour later, we put down our phones only to pick them back up and check how many likes our latest post got. By then, that beautiful sunset we should have been seeing is gone and the thunder clouds are rolling in.
We had the perfect moment but we didn’t savor it because we felt the need to show it to others.
The majority of social networks uses have a slight obsession to share everything; our brunch team, the surprise dinners that our partners prepare for us, the view from our hotel rooms. We have all been this person at some point in our lives or we have sat in front of one. And is frustrating like hell. Aren’t we here to talk and catch up? So why do we ignore and incline ourselves on our phones?
Do our followers really care where we are and the hashtags that accompany him? Ask yourself this: do these things matter to you when you see them in your feed? Of course, some images are great, but they do not make you contemplate them at a deeper level; After all, isn’t that the purpose of the displacement function?
We do not need Instagram to validate our happiness; higher number of likes does not equate to higher levels of happiness. Sure, some people look ecstatic in their photos and their vacations look like something out of fancy magazines, but are they as happy as they look? Or simply had a great discussion with their family? Was the food that good or was it super bland? These are things that images do not convey to us.
Worst of all, our Instagram feed has become a battlefield, a field of great competition. We feel intimidated by other people’s images and feel the need to ‘up our game’. A sudden sense of insecurity begins to develop as we feel driven to validate our happiness with others.
Instead, what we could do is get comfortable with ourselves and develop the mindset that I know I’m happy and I don’t need anyone else to tell me I am. We need to enjoy the moments that life offers us because the best ones come without any consideration and are amplified with a carefree attitude. Why make time to check Instagram every ten minutes when you could be sipping another margarita on the beach?
Now they don’t get badly; I love taking photos and my summer destinations are no exception. They act as reminders of the good times I’ve had, especially on days when I’m stuck in the office. And yes, I am also guilty of uploading a photo or two while I take the sun under tropical suns. But I’m looking to change this last part.
Of course, this will not be an easy task, but I am going to take small steps to achieve it. Maybe I’ll start by waiting until the end of the day when I’m settled in my comfortable hotel bed to upload something. One thing is for sure though: I refuse to waste precious moments worrying about how my Instagram followers see me.
We don’t need to tell people how happy we are, nor do we need to feed their curiosities. We don’t need to meet your expectations of us, because if anything, we should be enjoying our vacation for ourselves.