Read This When It’s Time To Pause Your Scrolling

Scrolling through my feed I feel myself fading. No, I’m not scrolling through Instagram before bed and getting tired. I’m scrolling through for a moment as I eat my lunch at work.

Picture after picture. I get exhausted. What are we doing? What are we posting? Why? When you’re ‘supposed’ to like everything, feel the compulsion to double tap, everything just starts to feel pointless. I’m not saying I don’t really love that picture of my friends kid. Or, I didn’t love that CrossFit meme. What I’m saying is, why are we doing this?

Social media these days just makes me question why we post. Why do I post a cheesy quote picture from an app I read every morning on the bus? Why do I post pictures of coffee or my workouts? Why do I repost memes? Is it for me? Or is it for others to see?

Is it because I want other people to see it? Is it because I think it says something about who I am when I post those things?

Most days, I honestly just think it’s habit at this point. I post that morning inspirational quote because it’s what I read and then do when I’m on the bus. I post pictures of coffee because that’s what people have come to know me for and expect.

And then every so often I get in a mood like this. I question it. I feel gross about it. Why? Is it because I need some sort of sick reassurance that my life is somehow interesting enough to post? Is the point for others to see what I post and think something of me because I post those things? Is it validation?

The cycle continues.

And regardless, I still find myself scrolling. Liking.

There’s meaningful content on Instagram. Photographers telling stories of the homeless. Poets creating content that stops you in your tracks with words that cut to your core. Body-positive activists changing society with their words and posts.

But there is plenty of content that just leaves me questioning why we’re posting. Makes me question why social media once seemed like such a great way to keep in contact with others and now just feels like endless, meaningless scrolling.

Why do you act the way you do on social media?

I’m sure we all have nuanced reasons for our social media habits. Maybe many of us haven’t really taken time to think about why we behave the way we do on social media. However, I think it’s crucial we all take a step back and examine our social media use.