Is Social Media Responsible for your Declining Funds?

Do you have friends who keep documenting their day-to-day activities on social media? Sure, you do. But have you ever imagined what their life actually looks like behind the camera? Remember my friend – the grass isn’t always green and no one posts their failures and struggles on the gram. 

Andrea Piacquadio/Unsplash | People often maintain very artificial social media lives, something that can easily push you into an unnecessary competition in terms of overspending

Speaking of struggles, probably one of the saddest aspects of social media is the strain it puts on your finances. More than one-third of America’s young population admits the fact that social media has insanely influenced their spending habits. In fact, a recent survey driven by Mint shows legitimate concerns of teenagers wondering how their friends can afford such a glamorous and lavish lifestyle!

Brent Weiss, co-founder of a financial advisory firm states that if you have to compete with an entire social media group, you have to give up on a huge chunk of your money. Don’t believe that? Well, read on to get your dose of a reality check.

Try looking through the lens

It’s so easy to believe that Instagram and Facebook are telling the whole story. Hop onto any influencer’s social media account and you’ll always find a trail of posts that are far from reality or presented in a way that seems nearly impossible.

Lisa/Unsplash | Most social media influencers maintain a feed that looks very far from reality

Weiss states the moment you open the application, everyone is having a grand $50,000 wedding; everyone’s buying a new car or a lavish home. What they don’t tell you is what smart and informed choices they’re making to make all that happen. It doesn’t matter if they’re living their lives to the fullest; what matters is that they’re also balancing it with the rest of the important things. 

We as human beings tend to make some of the worst decisions of our lives under the influence of a third-party or while experiencing different emotions. As such, it’s only natural for a distorted image of someone else’s finances to make you feel extremely insecure.

But at a time like that, you must always remind yourself to make a mindful decision. You mustn’t forget that people are not revealing their smart investing habits or about how under debt they are. Therefore, it’s best to work with whatever you have. 

Matheus Bertelli/Unsplash | The next time a social media post makes you agitated, remind yourself of the good things in your life

Bottom line

The next time you come across an Instagram post that makes your heart fill up with envy, catch yourself in silence, take a deep breath, and remind yourself of the goals you always wanted to achieve. Remind yourself of how grateful you are in life and also for the people who influence your life for real. Maybe then that expensive post won’t do its black magic on your mind!