Social media started as a way to share and connect, but turned into a metrics game where likes matter more than what's real. The speaker worked as a social media manager and watched metrics obsessively, then learned to use these platforms as tools, not scoreboards.
Hello. When social media first became part of our lives, it felt like someone had built an enormous plaza that fit inside your pocket— your phone. All of a sudden, there was a place to interact, share your life, and keep up with people you might never see in person. Friends who moved across the country were still just a click away. Family members could watch each other's lives unfold through photos and stories on Instagram. I've learned new skills from complete strangers on TikTok, discovered YouTubers who changed the way I think, and connected with people I never would have met otherwise. In many ways, social media is an incredible invention, and I have to admit, I've grown up with it. But as I got older, it started to feel like the plaza had become a scoreboard. Instead of sharing unfiltered and imperfect moments, we started measuring them, and it felt like the number of likes became applause and views became a way to judge whether something or even someone was valuable based on a 30-second video. And slowly we stopped posting because we had something meaningful to share and started posting because we hoped the numbers would go up. The focus changed from expressing ourselves to performing for an audience. I've caught myself doing that many times as well. When I briefly worked as a social media manager, I found myself posting something, setting my phone down, then picking it back up a few minutes later to see how well it was performing. Numbers meant so much to me. If a post didn't perform well, it felt like my job was on the line. Nothing in my life had changed during those 5 minutes, yet somehow a number on a screen had the power to influence my mood because it felt like it dictated my future. The platform hadn't changed, and I figured it was the way I was using it had. The problem isn't that social media exists. Your phone is one of the most incredible and powerful tools ever created. It can help you learn, connect, create, and discover opportunities. But a tool is meant to help you build a life, not replace one. And the goal isn't to quit social media completely. And you've probably heard it many times, but Balance is key. Use it to learn something, to plan your next trip with friends, to share your in-progress artwork, to stay connected with people who are important to you that are long distance. The best stories on social media begin with a life that happened away from the screen. So use social media as a tool, not a A destination.
