Why you should think before posting another photo on the social network

I recently visited the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which is very remote from civilization. The area was pretty wild, but incredibly beautiful. The surrounding landscapes were so good that my hands instinctively reached for my smartphone every time to take more pictures, and then share them with everyone I knew.

But then I ran into one small problem. I was in the mountains. There was no internet. I just had to stand and look at all this beauty. And that's when I started thinking.

I, like everyone else, obsessed with the desire to share my photos with someone. I have no Instagram or Facebook accounts, but I like to share different pictures with my family and friends on apps like WhatsApp or Snapchat.

That is why I do not at all condemn people who seek to capture the bright moments of their lives and share them with the world. I do not blame them, because I understand them very well. From time to time we all feel the urge to post our vacation photos, funny shots from the life of pets, or even pictures of an amazing dinner, which took a lot of energy to prepare on social media.

But what exactly prompts us to do this? Where does the desire to share a photo come from? Can we bring some element of awareness into this process and begin to control it?

As I trudged to the hotel through the pine forest, the following thoughts were spinning in my head:

Why can't you just enjoy the moment without wanting to share it with someone?
I just want to boast in front of everyone, or is there any altruistic intentions in my actions?
Why am I so worried about this topic at all?

I clearly defined my problem: an unconscious desire to constantly share photos with someone. During those two days, while I was traveling in the mountains, it occurred to me about two times in an hour. I firmly decided to start controlling this process and make it more conscious.

And that's what I realized.

You need to forbid yourself to use the phone

I reached for him whenever I saw something beautiful. There was nothing I could do about this obsessive desire and felt addicted and completely helpless. Then I began to limit myself.

Whenever I wanted to take the phone, I asked myself: why do I need it now? how do i feel? where does this almost physical discomfort due to the fact that I can not use it come from? what will change after I send everyone the photos? There were no answers to the questions. I let my curiosity get the better of me and continued the experiment.

We all, without exception, want to appear better

Man is a social being. It is only natural that we want to look good in the eyes of other people. We want others to think that we live a full life, travel, discover new places, see at least some meaning in this life. Posting photos is a kind of way to let the world know that we are still alive and worth something.

I'm not saying anything bad about wanting to look good in front of other people. Some may condemn such a desire. I believe that this is an absolutely normal and self-evident phenomenon.

We would not be ourselves if we did not have a subconscious desire to appear to others a little better than we really are.

Those who claim that they don't give a damn about it are most likely just cunning. After all, what is so shameful about being a good fellow for everyone?

More often than not, we are able to understand that we do not really need it. We may well be happy without social approval. Of course, I myself do not really believe in this, otherwise I would not be writing this post now.;)

We feel the need to share joy with loved ones

Because we want them to enjoy pleasant moments and discoveries just like we do ourselves. So we saw something completely amazing and are already burning with the desire to make this something inspire other people in the same way that it inspired us. We hope that it will make their lives a little brighter, help them shake things up a little. This is the positive aspect of this whole story with the need to share photos. But there is also a negative one.

I know a huge number of people who are inspired by the stories, travel and adventures that others share with them. They find them fascinating, useful and even think about how to independently repeat the routes of some travels or, on someone's advice, visit a restaurant they like.

However, there is a category of people who are very noticeably stressed by such things. They subconsciously feel a trick, suspect others of bragging, experience envy and slight pricks of jealousy. This is the contradictory range of feelings that an ordinary photo on a social network can cause.

You need to learn to enjoy the moment

You see a magnificent landscape. It's so good that you feel the need to share it with someone. Why? And why? Why combine a moment that is already good with the need to capture it, and then send it to someone else? Why all this fuss? I thought about it for a long time and realized that before it was enough for me to just admire the beauty around without the need to share with someone. It is quite possible.

We can enjoy the moment without sharing it with anyone. We can appreciate beauty and do not need anyone's approval. We do not have an urgent vital need for someone to share our enthusiasm.

Someone will think that without all this he will feel inferior, but this is not so. You can enjoy the moment alone. And that is great.

Photo sharing is a way to deal with your anxiety

Imagine how majestic the mountains look at sunset. It can be so beautiful, so exciting that emotions will be overwhelming. We want to share them with someone. For this we exchange photos. This is how we try to curb our senses. If we do not have the opportunity to share, then we will simply start screaming for joy.

But this was not the case before. We just felt good. The feeling of joy and admiration absorbed us headlong and gave impetus for new research and discoveries, it also nourished from within and gave strength to move on. And now we just suppress it by sending a photo to our loved ones with some enthusiastic commentary.

We deprive ourselves of a whole bunch of delightful emotions with our own hands, killing all the charm of the moment when we try to send something somewhere. Most people understand this, but do not try to change the situation. But in vain.

We can fully control our feelings and direct them in the right direction. We know how to curb emotions and experience them on our own. But it takes effort.

I'm not urging you to stop posting photos on social media now. I have nothing against progress and technology. I just recommend that you control your urge to share photos and add a dash of awareness to the process.