Suzanne Carillo

Valentine’s Day The Precursor To Social Media

I remember when I was a kid…waaaaay back when. I’m talking before the internet, before personal computers, before cell phones. It’s hard imagine isn’t it? Technology controls our lives now.

Let’s go back to the “dark ages”.

Back when you had to rely on your parents ten year old set of encyclopedias for school projects.

When there were two channels on TV.

Back when you had to know your Dad’s hiding spot for his stash of Playboy magazines to see naked people.

Oh those innocent days of yore!

Let’s go even further back to when I was in primary school.

We didn’t realize it then, but we had already developed our own form of soul crushing social media.

It was done a little bit differently at the time.

In preparation for Valentine’s Day each year we would decorate a little brown paper bag or box and tape it to the front of our desk with our name on it. On Valentine’s Day we were given the opportunity to drop cards into our friend’s bag/post box.  At the end of the day we would ceremoniously dump our our cards onto our desk and count them.

It goes without saying that the person with the most Valentine cards won.

Kids felt the sting of unpopularity well before “likes” or “follows” were developed.  They understood the value of a card from someone they didn’t know or care about. It was all about the numbers.

Sound familiar?

It took many years to turn every day into Valentine’s Day but hooray for technology and social media!

Now we can feel unpopular daily.

When your numbers are failing does that mean you are failing?  If you don’t get enough followers or likes it can affect your self esteem.

Just like when we were kids you wonder why your friend got so many more Valentine cards/likes/followers than you did. You’re just as good as her.  What’s she got that you don’t have?

Aside from the Insta-perfect flawless face, enviable figure and highly stylized aspirational life?

(Yeah…aside from that of course.)

Have you fallen down that dark social media rabbit hole?

Where jealousy and envy quickly turn into insecurity and sadness? It’s lonely in the blackness even though there are millions there wondering why they aren’t good enough.

Valentine’s Day cards, likes or follows do not represent personal value in life. They do not equate to how funny, intelligent, loveable or kind you are.

 

Surrendering your self worth to random people is madness.

You have the power to choose not to allow complete strangers to dictate your happiness.

It’s good to turn it all off and just be.  Without noise or distraction.  In your own skin. Grateful that you are alive.

You are whole.

You are human.

You are worthy.

 

Linking up with the lovely Patti for Visible Monday 

and linking up with Jess for  Turning Heads.