3 rules I live by when posting on Social Media

Hey! I just felt like I should share some of my thoughts about keeping a healthy online engagement in social media. There's so much pressure to portray a "perfect" life online, right?

After months of being always on the round on Instagram, I caught myself in this misconception that in order to succeed (online) I had to be skinny, fair, flawless and extravagantly rich. 💸💸💸 That I should travel more, visit more cafes and restos, go out more often than I usually do, etc. There's nothing wrong with being blessed by all these, but there's nothing wrong either with being on a different side of the spectrum. So I took time to do some self-reflection and careful re-evaluation and I decided for myself that I will stick to these rules when posting and creating content for social media:

1. Start where you are, use what you have.

There's always this urge that we need to buy what's the latest and what's trending in order to have a post that's "instagrammable". And that we need to get to certain places and experience certain things in order to be "worth it" or be considered #goals online. More often than not, we unconsciously fall into this trap and just keep chasing (and buying) one thing after another. 

Just some stuff I already own that I use on my flat lays. Get creative!

But I decided to say these things to myself: "Start where you are, use what you have. Be resourceful. Work your way up. Build that dream starting with what's already available to you."

 For example on my camera: It's quite impractical to buy a new one when I can still share

one with my twin sister.

We all have to start somewhere and that's okay. You don't have to be pretentious, just so you can feel "good" about your life.

Travel when you can but don't do it just to compete with other people on their travel "checklist".

Let's not pretend that travelling won't cost us money because it does

(no matter how affordable we try to make it).

2. Authenticity is everything.

Being trendy can only take you so far. But to have a lasting and noteworthy impression in the online scene, I think it's your authenticity that will set you apart. Don't just do something because everyone else is doing it. Don't jump in and suddenly "crave" or "fave" something just because it seems cool. Do something because it's what you genuinely enjoy. Post the things that mean something to you. Talk about things that you are passionate about and share that passion with others. Certain looks and trends and vibes from other social media "influencers" may not work for you. It may not even be your type. And that's okay! You do you.

My sister and I have always loved Korean food. We post quite often about it. Haha

I usually post about dogs because I just really, really love them! And I post a lot about coffee because I really, really love it too! 🐶☕

Even with your feed, try to find the theme or vibe that truly reflects who you are. Don't just copy something similar from someone else, only because it's "what everybody else is doing."

3. Connect, not collect

For me, social media is my way of reaching out and connecting with people from all over the world. I see it as a means to make friends, to reach out to colleagues, to share experiences with different people. I think that the number of followers will just follow in the long run.

How I look like when I'm calling someone to chikka. 😂

Pretty much related to no. 2, I'm really the type of person who enjoys helping people out, be it about where to eat, what to wear, where to go, etc. So I always try to make my posts look and feel approachable, just like me. 😁

Make your social media presence a means to bring out positive conversations, inspiring stories and empowering messages. Let's bring more people together.

There's plenty much more thoughts to live by but these three seem enough for a start. Do feel free to share other rules you live by when posting on social media!

PS: Post because you want to and not because you feel like you should! You can keep stuff for yourself too, you know. ❤

Love,

Lora