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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I used to post. Not a lot and not while I was on vacation, but I'd post a few photos when we got back from a trip. But eventually it started to feel like bragging. Now I only share photos with friends and family over texts, usually pics of my kid different places, sometimes a family photo on a beach or in another cool location. Just family and our closest friends -- I feel positive none of them view it as bragging or "look where WE went." They want to see the photos. Sometimes if I don't send, they'll text "send pics!" because they know we are traveling and want to know what we are up to.

I think posting to social media might be well intentioned (and also might not be) but the impact is not great. People scroll social media when they are bored at work, or when they are trying to turn their brains off before bed. It's not healthy, but we do it. [b]And I don't think that's the right mindset to feel happy for someone that they had a nice vacation.[/b] I have seen plenty of vacation photos on social media where I absolutely was happy for them and happy to see them having fun. But I will admit to situations when I felt resentful or annoyed. I get that's on me, not them, but I never feel that way about texted photos, because when someone texts a photo, it feels personal and not like they are showing off or trying to impress you.

So that's why I stopped and just text photos now. If we took a really epic trip, I might post one photo to social media after we got home. We'll see. As a rule I never post while I'm on vacation because I want to enjoy my vacation and generally avoid SM altogether when traveling. I want to feel present.[/quote]

Why not?[/quote]

PP here. I just think a lot of people (myself included) have unhealthy relationships with their phones, and with social media generally. I think people use it as a way to numb themselves from stuff that is bothering them (unhappiness with work, challenges with family, etc.). I also know social media apps are designed to encourage addiction, to get you to post/like/comment in pursuit of that dopamine hit you get when someone likes what you posted or responds to what you said. Some people may not experience this; I didn't initially. But eventually I noticed that this was part of my social media experience. Seeing it written about and discussed in documentaries helped me to understand it.

So I think a lot (maybe most?) people are in that mindset when they are on social media -- they are using it as a vice, like alcohol, to numb themselves from things they don't want to think about, or they are engaging in an addictive behavior that the apps have trained them to engage in. And I think that's not an ideal mindset to have when viewing your friend's happy vacation photos. Maybe you think "oh cool pic, they look happy [like]." I do that. But also maybe they think "everyone is having fun without me" or "everyone travels and our family never does anything cool" or "they look so happy and DH and I are arguing or my kids are struggling with school." Notice none of these are actually critical thoughts about the people who posted. But I think if you are on social media due to addictive behavior (which many, many people are) those pictures are as likely to harm you as to make you happy. And even when they make you happy, is it just feeding the addiction to the social media dopamine hit and making you more likely to spend more time staring at your phone screen?

Just, the more I learn about social media and it's impact on me and on others, the less I want to participate. My kids are too young for phones or social media but increasingly I want to be totally off it before they are old enough. I want to contribute to a society where there is less of this. I don't think it's healthy.

I can frame great vacation photos or stick them in an album or even text them to my best friends and feel confident none of those things are making people unhappy. I don't feel that way about social media. so I try to avoid it.[/quote]

Good for you, PP. You're right (and yes, I admit my total hypocrisy for stating this on DCUM, which is just as unhealthy).[/quote]

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