9 things your social media behaviour reveals about you
What was your last post on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or whatever other social media platform you prefer? Was it your selfies, perhaps about your diet, some food, etc?
Your social media posts can reveal a lot about who you are in person or about your nature. However, that revelation may not always be flattering.
Here are 9 things your social feed reveals about you:
1. TOO MANY SELFIES
Of course, we need to start the list with those selfies that the world has come to love. Taking a selfie when you think you are looking cute or when you are having a good hair day, can give your self-esteem a boost. It also helps when your friends and family leave encouraging comments.
However, take a look at your social media feed. Is it filled with too much or only your selfies?
Posting too many selfies on your Insta or Facebook feed can negatively affect your relationship with your followers or even your romantic partners, research by Florida State University revealed.
A survey of adolescent girls revealed that those who regularly posted selfies showed significantly higher levels of body image overvaluation than those who did not post as many selfies. It included being obsessed with shape, weight, dietary restraint and internalising the thin ideal, and even being dissatisfied with their body image.
2. FILTERS
We might use filters to correct colour, or to add more brightness to our pictures. Or perhaps it’s a cute new Snapchat filter we have to try out. However, posting too filtered an image frequently may not make you look good.
Using too much filter in a photo also reveals “greater body-related and eating concerns”.
Another research found that men who posted highly edited selfies of themselves measured higher on narcissism and psychopathy levels.
3. WORKOUT
Do you love your workout sessions? Are you proud of those abs and those biceps? It’s great that you are putting in a lot of work into your body and you are consistent. But perhaps your social media followers don’t need to know about your workout regime all the time.
Posting frequently about your workout, diet, or what you wore to the gym can make you look like a narcissistic person or even indicate that you are one. This is true of you unless you are running a workout blog or business.
4. ROMANTIC PARTNER
You may be in love with your current romantic partner, however, try avoiding posting too much about that person, directly or indirectly.
If you are posting too much about your partner, either in photos, videos, texts, phrases, or memes directed at that romantic interest, it may indicate lower self-esteem in you. So much for #couplegoals.
5. FOOD PORN
Alright, so this is a trick you can perhaps use and see if it works for you. A study revealed that posting frequently about food, recipes or just indulging in food porn posting, can in fact make you lose weight or nudge you towards healthy eating. One may think that posting too much about food will result in weight gain, but it seems to be the opposite.
Perhaps, if you need to lose some extra weight, you can try this trick. I'm going to post about a truckload of french fries and hopefully, I'll stop eating them as much.
But of course, it doesn’t include ASMR eating.
6. DEPRESSION
Social media posts can reveal a lot about the user’s current mental state. So, in case you are posting too many darker, greyer or bluer photos or videos, it may indicate that you are suffering from depression.
A study also found that depressed people are less likely to use filters than others because adding filters makes photos or videos look peppier.
But this is not professional medical advice. And if you think you are suffering from depression or other mental illness, it is best to get professional help.
7. DELETING PHOTOS
It’s not just what we post on social media that reveals who we are, but also what we remove from the feed. One study found that teenagers were more likely than adults to delete photos or videos that didn’t get them enough likes. This is because teenagers have an internalised desire to be popular. And of course, deleting photos due to a lack of likes also indicates very skewed self-esteem.
8. FOLLOWING STRANGERS
Social media platforms are interactive places. While following your favourite K-pop idol or actor or an influencer is okay, following random strangers may not be a good idea. A study says following too many strangers can leave you feeling depressed and may make you vulnerable to social comparisons.
9. JEALOUSY
While social media is all about keeping up with our friends and family members, sometimes, it can also induce feelings of jealousy and envy. One research found that Facebook users felt envy and jealousy when looking at the posts by their friends having fun.
In retrospect, too much of anything can be problematic. But rest aside, don’t think too much about curating your social media feed and just be you.