think before you spazz, canadianmomeh
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Think Before You Spazz #MyTwoCents

Why what you see is not always what you get

Never judge a book by its cover. We hear this expression often enough but it isn’t until the shoe is on the other foot that we really understand what it means. Social media (for the most part) is an array of perfectly filtered images showing mostly happy people, fantastic meals and vacations to die for. What’s behind the lens also matters though, especially since more often than not it’s far from perfect.

This is also true when it comes to the world of blogging. Yes. I’m letting the cat out of the bag folks, but the truth is, a blogger’s life is not perfect. Yes, many have better than average skills when it comes to social media management, photography and the tips and tricks of the trade, but what you see is often not all there is to the picture.

There are many that struggle with major health, mental, financial and/or marital issues, children who are unwell and the list goes on. They may have over time learnt the craft of perfecting an image and the final product but you have no clue what goes on behind the scenes nor how much work and time may have gone in to the blog post/update you read during the day.

This is why it is SO important to show kindness online and off. Respect one another. Give the other person the benefit of the doubt. That email you sent that has not received a response in over 48 hours. Take a moment and come up with just three possible reasons why it might be so. Think before you spazz. 

Social laws dictate that when you’re happy and have wonderful news to share, you’ll break a record number of “likes” or “yay” comments, but when things are not so great, you a)may not even feel like sharing much at all b)may come off as the “downer” the one seeking sympathy, or so on. This makes it all the more difficult for many going through tough times to feel comfortable enough to share how they feel. 

Think about it, you’d much rather read a “Just got a promotion at work, going on vacay to celebrate!” accompanied by a smiling, chipper selfie with two thumbs up than a “Feeling majorly depressed, can’t get off the couch and haven’t showered in three days” type post. The fact of the matter is that everyone carries their own baggage and not all of it is perfectly colour coordinated and instaglammed up. Remember that. Be kind and always think before you spazz.

think before you spazz, canadianmomeh

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31 Comments

  1. For me, my blog is just more or less entertainment. I was sick with candida when I started it, but I didn’t write downer posts, I just wrote what was going on in my life and how I was dealing with it. I have helped many people along the way and many have helped me. Now that I am better… I post for fun. I get a lot of flack from those who are sick and want free advice. They think I should post about sickness all the time. Poo on that!!!

  2. I try to be somewhat balanced in my posting. I don’t want to seem down every single day, but if I’m having a tough day, I may instagram some of the funny things. Or tweet it. Occasionally I post it on Facebook. You’re right, though. We don’t all live these super fun, Pinterest-worthy lives!

  3. I always say, you can’t always believe what you see on social media. I know some truly unhappy and depressed people that appear as they are on cloud 9 with what they post. I think it’s sad actually.

  4. I definitely agree with Robin. There is a time and a place for everything and if you’re going to post depressing news on social media you might as well tell the entire story.

  5. You really don’t ever know what anyone else is going through. It is so important to be kind- even online, when you won’t face as many consequences for being rude.

  6. What a great post. You never know what someone is going through. I also hope that if someone does open up they are not judged.

  7. Instaglam, I love that! What a great post. People are often mean and inconsiderate. I’ve been one of the lucky ones and so far haven’t had to deal with anything like that but I can sure imagine how much it would hurt to have it done to me. I try to always think before I speak…or in this case right. Nobody knows what is going on on the other side of the screen.

  8. I set my blog up because of my mental health issues I needed a way to cope – it has of course grown from there but sometimes I wonder if people do remmeber I am still a person behind a screen.

  9. What a great post! And it’s true that we can’t always see what’s really behind the perfect image we see on social media. I’ll try to be considerate and try not to spazz much.

  10. What a kind reminder to be considerate of one another, in real life and online. Social media is wonderful but it does allow for thoughtlessness to take place a lot quicker than it might in real life, sometimes.

  11. It’s sad that so many people feel like they can treat others with disrespect online. They hide behind their computer screens and say whatever they feel like when having any thought about how it might affect the other person. Thank you for sharing this post girl.

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