The Reality Behind Instagram

The Reality Behind Instagram

Social media has become a real problem for some people. Social media has the power to suck us of our blessings and instead put out focus on what we don’t have, what we aren’t doing, and generally how unhappy our lives really are. Instead of seeing the reality of some people’s lives, we see the polish, perfected, and filtered “highlight reel” of people’s lives. The best of the best in people’s lives.

The silly part about it all is that the very person you may be envying their life on social media, may indeed have the same feelings towards you! Here’s an example, two women (who are now friends) both admitted to envying one another via social media when they first met. One was a stay at home mom and the other a career mom. The stay at home mom envied the career mom’s ability to experience the world on a daily basis, not keep her hair in a ponytail, have conversations with adults, and be able to experience eating out on a daily basis. While the career mom envied the stay at home mom’s ability to spend time with her children, do fun Pinterest worthy projects with her kids, and cook Martha Stewart worthy meals for her family. How is that for ironic?

So why do we let ourselves fall for these comparisons? Why do we let envy into our lives? Pastor Craig of Lifechurch said this great quote, “Envy is resenting God’s goodness in someone else’s life and ignoring God’s goodness in your own life.” The solution? Cultivate gratitude. Break the cycle of envy and instead truly express gratitude and happiness for the blessings that are happening in your friend’s lives whether it be on social media or not on social media.

I like to think that I keep a healthy dose of reality here on this blog. At least that’s what a few people have told me. And I also like to think that keeping a healthy dose of reality is a powerful thing for bloggers. It gives us a common bond and allows people to come out and say “hey I struggle with that too.” It’s okay to admit we aren’t perfect. 

I came across this awesome article in which the author shares some of his “Insta-Bullshit” moments. I died laughing at these, he did a great job of really hitting the point home that the reality of social media isn’t at all what it seems. People can portray whoever they want to be, they can pretend to be whoever they want to be. People who may be living seemingly perfect lives on social media may be deeply hurting or having a marriage that is falling apart. 

So in light of exposing reality versus this perfect highlight reel we see in social media, I want to present you with some of my Insta-Bullshit moments. The truth behind many of the polished photos I share on Instagram. 

InstaBS 1 (2)

InstaBS 2 (1)

InstaBS 3 (1)

InstaBS 4

InstaBS 5

InstaBS 6

What are some of your Insta-Bullshit moments!? I know I’m not the only one! Share ’em below! 

22 Comments

  1. Kristi H
    October 16, 2014 / 11:10 am

    Love the insta-bullshit explanations! HA!

    • October 23, 2014 / 10:56 am

      Aren’t they great? I just died laughing!

  2. October 16, 2014 / 11:40 am

    These are way better than instagram! I laughed at all of them! Thanks for keeping it real. Love the Pinterest one!

    • October 23, 2014 / 10:56 am

      Thank you! I agree there needs to be a REAL instagram! I think we would all appreciate it much more! 😉

  3. Dawn
    October 16, 2014 / 11:47 am

    Love this. And your willingness to be so honest! I can say I nodded my head on a few of these!!!! Thank you for an important reminder about the “polished view” of life on social media that we need to read more often!

    • October 23, 2014 / 10:56 am

      Thank you!! I try my best to keep it real! After all, we are all human!

  4. October 16, 2014 / 12:33 pm

    Loved these!! Thanks for sharing! I will post some InstaBS and InstaLove

    • October 23, 2014 / 10:57 am

      Thank you!! I can’t wait to see! 🙂 Maybe I need to make this a habit from now on!

  5. October 16, 2014 / 12:56 pm

    This makes me feel normal. Thanks for sharing. It reminds that I don’t always have to look perfect in my pics and I don’t have to show that everything is perfect! 🙂

    • October 23, 2014 / 10:58 am

      Sometimes I honestly believe the people who portray those “perfect” lives have the most to hide. Things are never what they seem and the more people I meet, the more I find this to be true. I’ve had friends who have rocked my world with secrets that seemed so happy on the outside. It breaks my heart that we’ve come to a place where we TRULY feel like perfection is attainable because it never is.

  6. October 16, 2014 / 12:58 pm

    And to think I thought you had perfect skin all this time! ;o) Love this! Thank you for that reminder. I try to tell myself all the time that people only share pictures of how they want other people to see/perceive them which might not be how they really are. Sometimes I wonder if the reason people post soooo many selfies is because they just need reassurance it’s ok to be who they are and to feel good about themselves. Telling themselves isn’t enough, they need the world to tell them..

    Btw, your really do have good skin even if you did Photoshop your own picture! 🙂

    • October 23, 2014 / 10:59 am

      HA! I will say that I have been using Norwex Body Cloths on my face and I can see a difference in my complexion!! I think you are exactly right. So many strive for the “LIKES” instead of being confident in who they are from the inside out!

  7. October 16, 2014 / 2:28 pm

    Ahh love it! I’ll admit I’ve been jealous of your skin in your pics before – is it terrible of me to know I’m kinda glad it’s not perfect in real life? Sorry! But sometimes I feel like the only one over the age of 25 to still deal with acne… ugh. But I agree everyone does this, even me!

    • October 23, 2014 / 11:00 am

      LOL! It’s not terrible at all! I will say that I have been using the Norwex Body Cloths on my face and I CAN see a noticeable difference in my skin! I still do get zits usually around my period. UGH!

  8. October 16, 2014 / 4:25 pm

    I cracked up about your fish tacos comment. I always forget how close together food/stuff has to be to look good in shots. I probably took 5 pictures of that darn tea pot the other day trying to get it where I wanted it.

    • October 23, 2014 / 11:01 am

      YES!! In real life things look like they are on top of each other but yet in photos there’s space. It’s a weird illusion. My husband rolls his eyes at the little photo set up I do for my food photos! 😉

  9. October 16, 2014 / 8:07 pm

    My Instabullshit is definitely our puppy. Although is is adorable and brings us sooooo much joy, he’s a PAIN IN THE ARSE and there is a TON of disciplining, accidents and pouting involved.

    I also was thinking the other day about how many people actually really know what I look like most of the time. I mean, REALLY know what I look like. When I go out in public, I usually am pretty polished and sometimes I hardly recognize that person in the mirror; that person I strive to look like. Home, it’s sweats or farm clothes and usually a ball cap. I tried to make my latest facebook profile picture reflect that!

    Great post, Jenny! Really makes you think 🙂

    • October 23, 2014 / 11:03 am

      I have been wondering how he’s been as a puppy!!! That is one of the main reasons I have refrained from getting a dog, the puppy stage is SO MUCH WORK! And so frustrating! They are so cute yet can be so naughty! Maybe a behind the scenes of living with a puppy post is in order! 😉

  10. Kaaren
    October 17, 2014 / 6:45 am

    Love this post!!!! I’m not on Instagram aka Instabullshit, great name btw! My Instabullshit moment always involves a picture of me with a smile on my face. But that is all you see, my body from the shoulders up because I am miserable in my own body, due to my weight. I don’t want to leave the house because I might run into on of my Facebook “friends” and they will see the real me.

    Very sad,

    Thank you for your honesty!!!

    Kaaren

    • October 23, 2014 / 11:06 am

      Kaaren, I will be praying for you and that hopefully you can someday smile from the inside out! I fully understand struggles with weight and body image. But your body does not define you! There is a person in there, who is smart and beautiful and deserves to be happy! What has helped me is positive enforcement. I pick one thing on my body that I like and I speak it out loud, in the mirror, once a day. It could be “Jenny, you have a great smile.” Those little thoughts really do help!

  11. October 17, 2014 / 12:28 pm

    I love this, Jenny! And it’s TOTALLY true! I recently just did a blog for work that talks about “Life Isn’t Always Pinterest Perfect” and shares my mess of a time making a new fall wreath. Your burning your fingers with hot glue comment on the lamp picture is exactly how I was! haha Thanks for keepin’ it real! 🙂

    Here’s the blog if you want to check it out: http://www.beckshybrids.com/Blog/ArtMID/841/ArticleID/166/Family-and-Farming-Fall-Decorations-Not-Always-Pinterest-Perfect

    • October 23, 2014 / 11:06 am

      HAHA! That is great! I am a pretty crafty gal but it always produces SUCH A MESS! 😉

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