Social media may have started with the noble intention of making it easier for people to connect with each other, but over the years, it has brought out – or maybe created – monsters out of us! Some of us unleash our disappointment and anger and troll our friends and strangers. Some of us put our most private selves out there because we feel unseen and unheard, and then feel worse because we are still unseen and unheard, but now by thousands of people who follow us! Despite knowing the evils of social media, and how addictive it can be, many of us end up wasting hours mindlessly scrolling through our newsfeeds. And some us STALK. It’s become so easy to witness someone else’s life without their knowledge, thanks to social media. Yes, sure you can say that when someone posts something online they know it’s public. But still, there is something perversely voyeuristic spending your leisure time looking at other people’s pictures and comments without their knowledge. But, that’s not the point here. The point is that by stalking certain people, you are actually not only wasting your time, but making yourself a less happy person! For example…
Your ex(es)
You know it’s more than just benign curiosity about what a long lost friend is up to. You want to know that they are miserable without you, but instead, you end up feeling that they’re having too much fun. Going through their pictures with all these new women or men makes you feel like you never existed in their life, and the next thing you know, you’ve wasted hours gawking at every post, going through every person who liked the posts, and reading and rereading, and analyzing and over-analyzing every single comment! You know what you should be doing instead? Swiping right on Tinder!
Who your ex is dating
Is your time worth so little that you’ll sit there and scrutinise your ex’s current squeeze’s outfits, the way they smile, or hold their drink, or how loud their makeup is? You want to know that you’re the best your ex ever had, but deep inside you fear that they’ve found someone better… you convince yourself that that’s not the case. Hold on right there, little one! Does it really matter who your ex is with? What you should be focusing on is who you will be with next!
Your current amour’s ex
They broke up. They moved on. You are the one they’re with now. Don’t give so much importance to their ex, and don’t create room for them in your relationship, even if it’s only in your head. Focus on what the two of you have in the present, as opposed to what the two of them had in the past!
That friend from school you think you’re doing better than
Curb the inner mean girl! If you are actually doing as well as you think you are, you shouldn’t need this kind of validation to begin with!
That friend from school who’s doing better than you
It’s okay if it’s for inspiration. But, if you’re not going to follow up those hours spent staring at their picture perfect life, with something to make yours better, you’re actually doing worse than you thought! It’s our job to be honest with you.
That newlywed couple who had the most insta-perfect wedding and honeymoon
#WeddingGoals has actually ruined weddings. Your wedding should not be about having everything look pretty in just the right shade of millennial pink or sun-kissed yellow. It should be about having the best day of your life, even if it’s in a beaten down shack!
That colleague you have a crush on
Are you going to do anything about it? Talk to them? Ask them out for a drink or a coffee after work? No? Then get off their social media because your awkward office crush will only become more awkward!
Stalking someone on social media is a glorious waste of time! It is a waste of our innate curiosity, which should be spent on learning something new, and a waste of our time which should be spent on making memories. Not to mention the pigeon neck it gives you! Get out there, go for a walk, meet a friend, or heck, read a book! You are never getting this time back! Use it well.
