Who is the Moment Really For?

When did we start caring so much about what other people think? Why do all of our pictures and videos need to be posted online or it “didn’t happen?” I am not saying no one should ever document their lives on social media again; I am just suggesting we are more concerned with showing people we are living than actually being happy.

Today, we feel so pressured to capture everything. No matter the occasion, we see people reaching for their phones. Concerts, sunsets or even dinner with friends can become just an opportunity for a photo. In my own experience at concerts, the whole arena is filled with screens, and you can't even see the artist performing. Are we even listening to the music, or are we so focused on the photo that we forget to be grateful we get to be there?

I am no stranger to the online world, and when I see social media posts, I often wonder, “Are they really as happy as they seem in this photo?” Without even thinking, we gravitate towards smiling and looking like we are having fun in front of a camera. This only shows a small part of a person's life.

This brings me to why people care more about how their lives look to others than showing the reality. Creating a version people admire and want to be a part of is tempting. But would you still do it if no one would ever see or hear about it? It really begs the question: are we sharing for ourselves or for others? It feels like the more we post, the harder it is to appreciate our own lives. Posting an Instagram story that gets fewer likes than you hoped can feel disappointing. This doesn't mean we should choose experiences solely to publish to our followers. Something can be meaningful to us even if the rest of the world never sees it.

When we constantly see other people's pictures, it can seem like everyone else has more friends, does more exciting things, has better relationships or enjoys life more than we do. While this can feel like a tragic reality, we should think of it this way: we are comparing our lives, including the boring and difficult parts, to the moments other people have chosen to share. One moment you feel you are having a good day, and then a simple scroll can suddenly make you feel like you're missing out. This makes us forget we are not seeing the whole story of a person's life.

What would change if we stopped comparing ourselves to others and being present in our own lives? I don't mean never posting on Instagram again or deleting Snapchat, but simply being intentional. As guilty as I am in this same regard, I believe that we can shift our values. Letting ourselves enjoy things and be in the moment without feeling compelled to record it. Try allowing a memory to be only for you. We don't need an audience to validate our story.