Gabrielle Epstein

Social media is whatever you make it. You have the power to choose whether it has a positive or negative impact on your life, and when you think it’s starting to become addictive, you alone have responsibility to switch off your phone and laptop and disengage from technology.

Of course Instagram isn’t real life. Everyone, myself included, choose the highlight reel of their life to present on social media – we all know that and it is all our choice to be apart of it. However, that doesn’t mean I have ever pretended to be someone that I am not on Instagram.

Societal pressure to conform and be liked and accepted affects everyone at some stage of their life, and stems from a variety of factors – school, work, friendship groups, relationships and social media. However in all of these situations if you allow yourself to be pressured into presenting a false version of yourself that is a direct result of your own free will and intent. Part of growing up is taking responsibility for your actions and for any issues that are a direct result of your life decisions.                                                  

I will always consider myself to have been very fortunate to be in a position to take advantage of the opportunity that Instagram has given me, and I want to be clear that my value of self worth has nothing to do with likes or comments. The belief I have in myself stems from a very loving and supporting circle of family and friends who instilled in me the ability to understand that self worth and happiness will never, and can never, be based on other people’s opinions or expectations of you - especially not the number of followers you have on Instagram.

Some people have said that Instagram isn’t real and people on social media aren’t real. But I think the amount of REAL incredible people I’ve met and worked with over the past couple of years would disagree. For the experiences and opportunities social media has given me I will always be incredibly humbled and grateful.

For the first time, we all have the power to show to world who we really are. It gives us the opportunity to speak with our hearts and minds, and define our true selves better then anything or anyone else could.