Does social media falsely inflate our ego?

645.75 million active twitter users,

1.31 million monthly active facebook users,

168.4 million tumblr blogs and

200 million monthly active users on instagram.

Society is dangerously engaging in a world which is diminishing human nature. Saying that our 'nature' of man kind was personal contact, face to face interactions and living in the real world without a smart phone.

Social media is becoming an increasingly popular way of escaping reality and creates false egos to those who are behind the screen. I am guilty of this and I dare say, you are too.

Sites such as twitter, facebook , instagram and tumblr are the top most ranking social media interactive sites which are active daily. These media sites allow an individual to create a profile, collect friends, grow followers and also allows the individual to stay connected with the online world.

However, with the pros and cons, sites such as these allow us to stay connected in a world without having to actually put in the time and the effort. You can keep in touch with long distance relatives, colleagues and reunite with lost friends.

These are all great motives to join online networking, although, it seems that currently, these sites are rarely used for these types of connections. Instead it seems to be more about gaining 'like's on a particular photo, growing your business, to publicise gossip and to gain followers.

Now, I'm not going to jump ahead and say that these sites DO inflate egos, but instead I am merely questioning whether they grossly contribute to it.

It is fair to say, that it is a lot easier to be someone you are not, behind a screen. It is too easy to talk to someone or say something to someone which you usually wouldn’t, if you were to say it in person.  Social media creates a barrier between us and the reactions and personalities of others. We become egotistical, confident and feel invincible when we don’t have to face reality.

We can post photos of ourselves all dolled up and people will think that’s what we look like naturally. We can talk to that cute boy or girl confidently, without stuttering and blushing. We can be rude and mean to those who we don’t like without thinking before we start talking and we can become someone entirely different and create a whole new agenda if and when we please.

Some would say its great. Others despise it. The new generation don’t know any different and older generations see it as a storm brewing.

I am guilty of being an active user in the previously mentioned social networks. I run my own tumblr blog, I post photos everyday on instagram, I set at least 2 statuses a day on facebook and I tweet when I am bored. Yes, my life largely revolves around social networking and I believe I have succumbed to the enticing fingers of  being someone I am not behind the screen.

Its something I am not proud of. However, I am at least able to acknowledge that it happens and the sooner you realise it the better.

I endure the never ending desire to gain followers on twitter and I wont lie, I do enjoy having a few likes on photos I post. It boosts my self esteem and falsely inflates my confidence. I become someone who I typically am not.

The real me does not like to show her body in public, I do not like to talk to boys who I do not know and I do not have 500 people following me in the street.

Without social media, I would be original. I wouldn't think that I am pretty or I should say 'need' to feel pretty. I wouldn’t feel left out or even care if I wasn't at that party everyone is talking about. I wouldn't care if I lost a few followers and I certainly wouldn’t feel more confident just because 5 new people sent me a request to be my friend.

But this isn't about me.

It's about us. About our generations, old and new. Its about the world we are creating and living in. Its about that person you talk to online but when you see each other in person, is someone you feel like you hardly know.

Its having someone criticize you online and then will shy away from you when they see you out. Its about the social world creating people who we are not.

It’s a decision that we have to make ourselves. Whether we remain our boring, shy, natural selves or we give in to being someone who is moulded by social media.

It is safe to say, I am not the only one who thinks these things. It is now becoming vastly discussed and people are now acting out against social networking sites. T-shirts are even being sold to represent ones opinion. The quote "I’m kind of a big deal on a fairly irrelevant social media site that falsely inflates my ego" is branded on clothing and is being bought daily. Goes to show that not all of us are in the bubble of egotistical keyboard warriors.

But i leave the end of this blog in your hands. We are all on a device right now, looking, searching, talking and scrolling. We are involved in a world that, when we shut out laptops or switch off our phones, dissapears with it.

Whether we shut it off for good, or realise the damage this is creating, social media needs to be seen for its true colours.

The decision and answer is in your complete control. I know what i have become due to it and i know what affect it has on me. But every one is different.

So its up to you. Has it inflated your ego? Are you really YOU online? And another... how much time do you spend in the real world compared to the online world.

Thanks for listening as always x