Page 54 - TalkTalk
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Social media has become a big part of our lives, and On the app, we're bombarded with carefully curated
Instagram is one of the biggest players. We've all images of people living their best lives – amazing
gotten used to carefully picking and choosing what travel destinations, fancy meals, perfect
we share online, crafting our lives to look picture- relationships, and so on. But we rarely see the full
perfect. But the reality is often quite different from picture.
what we see on our feeds.
We don't see the hours spent staging these photos,
Let's look at two photos that illustrate this contrast. the less-than-glamorous moments, or the
The first one shows a person standing alone on a challenges and struggles that come with everyday
cliff, surrounded by breathtaking nature scenery – life. We're only shown the highlights, the best bits,
mountains, water, and vast open spaces. It's a serene and it can be easy to start comparing our own lives
and peaceful image that makes you want to be to these seemingly perfect ones we see online.
there, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday The truth is, social media is a highlight reel. It's a
life.
chance for people to share the best parts of their
But then we have the second photo, taken from the lives, but it doesn't tell the whole story. Behind
same spot, which reveals a completely different every stunning sunset photo or couple's shot,
story. Instead of solitude, we see a crowd of people there's a world of reality that we don't get to see.
huddled together, all trying to get the perfect shot
of the same view. Suddenly, the tranquillity is gone, This extends far beyond just travel photos, too.
and the reality of a bustling tourist attraction sets Influencers and celebrities often portray lavish
lifestyles that feel unattainable for most of us.
in.
Relationships are depicted as perfect and problem-
This perfectly captures the difference between what free. But we all know that real life isn't like that –
we see on Instagram and what's really going on it's messy, complicated, and full of ups and downs.
behind the scenes.
