My relationship with social media has always been rocky. I remember being in fifth grade, begging my parents to let me have social media when I got my first iPhone. Like many in my generation, I grew up alongside the rise of social media, a new and uncharted territory for both us and our parents. None of us fully understood its potential dangers at the time.

Over the years, watching countless people document the highlights of their lives began to take a toll. As a young girl, it was nearly impossible to see through the screen and realize that what I was seeing wasn’t real life, but an edited, glamorized version of it. For young women especially, this constant exposure can have a significant impact on mental health. Perfectly curated images seemed to be everywhere, with every scroll.

Looking back, I can now recognize that I developed an eating disorder during my teenage years. As an athlete, I had always been fit and healthy, but social media began to shift my perspective. Woman after woman on my feed looked thinner, leaner, and somehow “better” than I did. With every scroll, I grew more insecure. I couldn’t see the angles, editing, or filters behind these images—I thought the problem was me.

I’m not alone in this experience. Research confirms that “through the lens of social media, someone else can always look better, skinnier, or prettier.” Studies also show that social media is “fuelling new waves of disturbed eating and exercise pathology” (Dane & Bhatia, 2023).

This realization made me resent social media. Its distorted portrayal of perfection caused me—and many other impressionable young people—to develop unhealthy habits and mindsets. But over time, with a healthier perspective, I’ve come to see the importance of critical awareness and the need for platforms to address these issues.

As I struggled with my own insecurities, I realized that I wasn’t alone in feeling overwhelmed by the constant pressure to look a certain way. Many others, even those with massive social media followings, face this too. One example is Amelie Zilber, a popular influencer who has openly discussed her own battle with an eating disorder. Like many young women, Amelie was deeply affected by the unrealistic beauty standards portrayed on platforms like Instagram. As an influencer, she was under even greater scrutiny, with every post subject to judgment from thousands of followers.

Amelie has shared how the pressures of being in the public eye and comparing herself to other influencers contributed to her unhealthy relationship with food and body image. Her vulnerability in discussing her recovery journey has helped break the stigma around eating disorders and serves as a powerful reminder that social media can affect anyone—regardless of their platform or perceived success. Her transparency is a reminder that even those who seem to have it all together may be struggling in ways that aren't visible on the surface. This is a crucial part of the conversation that often gets lost amid the highlight reels of Instagram feeds.

This is where my renewed relationship with social media comes in. As both social media platforms and my generation have matured, we’ve learned that authenticity is paramount. Influencers like Amelie have opened up and created space for tough conversations, helping us realize that social media isn’t real, which ultimately led to a loss of trust in its curated perfection.

However, a shift began to occur. Authentic and genuine content started to take center stage. Algorithms began pushing more of this kind of content, encouraging influencers and brands to embrace an authentic look and stop promoting unrealistic expectations. A study published in Nature Communications found that "authentic self-expression on social media is associated with greater well-being," suggesting that users who present their true selves experience more positive outcomes (Bailey et al., 2020). This shift underscores a broader trend where social media platforms are fostering environments that prioritize and reward authentic user engagement.

This is when my relationship with social media began to change for the better. I found entertainment in apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. I learned that comparing myself to these false representations would only hurt me. The pictures and videos I saw weren’t reflective of real life. Slowly, I began to heal from my overly critical mindset and started to love myself again. Once this happened, I started enjoying social media again.

Now, social media is a way for me to find entertaining content and connect with my friends and family. It’s a strange bond, but the relationships I have with those I share memes with seem the strongest. I enjoy watching new trends emerge and even catching up on news through social media platforms. Now that I’ve overcome the toxic mindset I had towards social media, I can appreciate many different aspects of it.

In fact, my relationship with social media has grown so positively that I now want to work in the field after college. The ability of social media to reach such a large and diverse audience is unprecedented. I love how it breaks geographical boundaries and brings people together, making them aware of trends, brands, and issues. Moving forward, I know that social media can be a dangerous and fabricated space if you’re naive to the fact that much of it is not what it seems. But through my course and my personal growth, I’ve learned that it can also be a creative, intentional, and rewarding field. I’m even starting a brand called AggieCulture, and social media has been the best way to grow it. It’s amazing to see the interactions from Aggies all over the world ordering shirts from little old me (@TheAggieCulture on Instagram—shameless plug). Overall, I now see social media as a tool that offers endless opportunities and potential for growth.