Four Stages of Posting on Moments (WeChat)
An individual's experiences can be broadly divided into four stages:
1. High-frequency posting of photos on social media to appear successful.
When I first entered university, I had seen nothing and had almost no vision; my mentality was also quite naive, just feeling the need to post things and boost my online presence.
2. Basic non-posting on social media.
After reading articles like 'The more you lack, the more you like to show off,' I felt that constantly striving to post trivial things just to appear boastful was childish. But I didn't post, and it made me itch with anxiety, pretending to be detached from the world while craving recognition. So, I started posting things that others wouldn't understand.
3. Complete cessation of posting on social media.
Eventually, I realized that the purpose of posting on social media was to gain validation. The true 'big shots' didn't post, and I set a rule to not post for three days or a year – it was lonely, but I enjoyed the imagined admiration and respect I received. I smiled with satisfaction.
4. Facing oneself.
By stopping posting on social media, I discovered that people who genuinely lived happily in real life rarely had meticulously managed feeds; instead, they shared their youthful, somewhat naive thoughts, helped a friend's daughter vote, and engaged in interactions that outsiders didn't understand. I realized that the problem wasn't with social media itself, but with my own desire to impress and care about others' opinions. Someone who doesn't care about how others perceive their social media posts can simply not post or post constantly, but it's those of us who view social media as a part of our identity that are truly affected.
Finally, I offer you one last sentence:
Life isn't made up of snapshots, but of feelings and experiences.
