WHY YOU SHOULDN'T POST ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

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In the culture and the technological climate we live in, almost everybody uses some kind of social media. According to a study, in 2020, an estimated 3.6 billion people were using social media worldwide, which might increase up to 4.41 billion in 2025. Social media is very tightly connected to an individual's reward systems. Other than social media, things like gambling and narcotic drugs too have the power to rule over the brain's reward systems in a similar capacity. Therefore, users should realize the power and possibility for abuse.

PSYCHOLOGICAL MOTIVATIONS FOR POSTING:

A recent article titled "The Psychology of Social Sharing" helped articulate the different tiers of posting motivations. They even clearly noted psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of human needs to reason why people post -

• Psychological needs: People sometimes post to benefit the health or well being of their family/friends.
• Safety: Physical, mental and financial security are important for people when they choose to post some material on their social media.
• Love/belonging: Users generally want to post to feel some kind of social acceptance from others.
• Esteem: People want to quell the rewards-oriented parts of their brains which is why people post me-centric content regularly.
• Self-actualization: As the most important facet of the human needs hierarchy, this aspect of posting manifests when people share their successes, for instance, getting a job, graduating from school and relationship status to mention a few.

SOME POSITIVE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON MENTAL HEALTH:

1. The availability of support groups.
2. Social integration with similar interest groups.
3. Healthy and body-positive lifestyle motivations.
4. Maintaining and building new relationships.
5. An introduction into new modes of thinking.

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WHAT NOT TO POST AND WHY:

It is very normal for almost everybody to regularly post on their socials. But there are some things that you should keep private -

•  Your personal location

It's weird that people really want everyone to know exactly where they are and what they're up to, giving people access to you at all times. Don't be a victim. Disable your location tracker!

• Details of your next vacation

It's basically telling the whole world that no one will be at your house for a whole week. Hard as it may be, keep your vacations to yourself. If you must, you can share them with close friends and family. You never know who might be watching you or what bad intentions they might have.

• Pictures/videos of friends that you took without permission

Having our smartphones with us 24/7, its tempting to take snapshots of and shoot everything we see. But if you go around posting stuff without the permission of the people depicted, you could get yourself in trouble. So, its fair to always take permission from the people you post about. Your friends won't want their stuff online.

• Stuff your friends should really be posting themselves

It's exciting when a friend of yours is sharing their successes with you. But know that your friend's big news is theirs to keep. Let your friend share her/his news themselves and in the way she/he would like to. They'll appreciate it.

• Selfies in sacred or serious places

Places you shouldn't be be snapping selfies include funerals, places of worship and cemeteries. Those places call for a respectful behavior. Posting pictures at such places with a smiling face is surely a mistake.

WHY I DON'T THINK ITS HEALTHY TO REGULARLY POST ABOUT RELATIONSHIP STATUS:

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Most often, I see people uploading pictures of them with their partners and revealing things about them that they might not want shared with everyone. And for several reasons I believe it is the best to keep your relationships to yourself and try dating without posting -

1. Sign of insecurity

When people post about their partners very often, it is because they want to reassure themselves when it comes to their relationship. And why would you want to be with somebody when you constantly have to keep feeding your insecurities?

2. Giving access to others

When you choose to post about your relationships and people, you are allowing others to say things about you and make you a controversy. 

3. Sign of no real connection

Doing this can also be a sign that you are not looking for a person that's for you but for someone with whom you can get to be the center of attention on your socials. When you feel like you want the world to look at you and your successes, it can really mess up with your psychology, and will bring you no genuine happiness.

4. Sabotaging the relationship

By allowing everybody to know about you personal life, and asking for them to applaud and feel happy about you, is not at all healthy your own relationships with anybody.

5. Sign of no trust

Many people tend to post about or with their partners because they don't trust their partners enough and constantly want people to know that they are already with someone. Why with them if not trust them?

6. Your life, your business

Nobody really cares or is genuinely happy for your successes, except for you. Keeping things to yourself (life, successes, enjoys) is the best way to keep them long enough with you and actually enjoy them and keep them safe!

FINAL WORDS:

It can be aesthetic to upload your daily life on Instagram. But in many ways it can also be harmful for your own self and your relationships with other people. Your friendship with someone does not have to depend on your Snap chat streaks with them or shouldn't be limited to just texting. Your life and your people are so much more than that. What you see on social media isn't always real. People are their best selves on socials and it is stupid to take inspiration from them. Start spending time with your friends without being on your phones. Start dating people without posting about them. Start approaching to your loved ones in person, rather than sending them a text... and see how real, satisfied and happy your life becomes.

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