It’s not an exaggeration to say that social media consumes us. Statistics claim that 1.8 billion photos are uploaded to the internet on a daily basis and I believe that. Another statistic tallied up that, on average, we spend 1.72 hours a day on social media. That number actually seems really low to me.
But what is it that we are sharing, judging, reading so often in our day-to-day lives?
Stories.
We get snapshots of what our friends are up to via Instagram and Snapchat. We read about their amazing vacation on Facebook and see the footage to prove it on Vine. Our favorite band lets us talk to them via Reddit and we can follow our celebrity crush on Tumblr.
And none of it is 100% honest.
How many filters do you use on a photo? How many times do you backspace while posting a status? How often do you leave out that you cried yourself to sleep after you went out to celebrate your singlehood with your girls, or that you skipped a meal every day for 6 months to make sure you fit into that bridesmaid dress, or that you feel closer to your pet than to your parents?
#HalfTheStory is based on the concept that we all only share a portion of our life with the public, with our friends, with our families. Half of your story is all a person sees on social media and that causes quite the ripple effect when you dig deep enough.
If all you ever see is your friend from college drinking and laughing, you’ll assume alcohol leads to fun; that could become alcoholism.
If you’re always looking at a fitness guru posting gym selfies, you’ll begin working out in hopes you repeat their successes; that could lead to a lot of self-loathing.
We’re all guilty of posting #halfthestory.
What the Half The Story campaign is aiming to do is to raise awareness of this fact. Every person has inner turmoil and indecision; we all go through tough times that we don’t want to be shared. It’s totally normal! It’s more than normal! No one has a picture perfect life.
“In a world driven by instant success, we tend to hide behind our social media identities, masking the full truth behind the partial realities we post every day. #HALFTHESTORY is a social media awareness campaign that aims to liberate men and women from all walks of life, by providing a platform that allows these individuals to share a part of their identity that is not revealed through their social channels. #HALFTHESTORY is not limited to weaknesses, vulnerabilities, or insecurities, but rather a celebration of individuality, intellect, and passion. Unlike other social movements, we aim to shed light on hidden human talents, ideas, or beliefs that connect us on a deeper level in addition to the struggles that we face.”
So, the next time you’re having a bad day, just say so. When you’re posting on any social media outlet, share thoughts a bit more honestly. We all keep creating a cycle of fake personas and mythical lifestyles that are making onlookers jealous or depressed. That’s not a cool thing to do and no one should feel so left out or so hurt.
Featured image via #HalfTheStory
