It’s not a secret nor a surprise that a lot of us enjoy social media, some to the point where they have a strong online presence. But with this also comes the risk of leading a double life, meaning that the information and the content that is put on these media platforms becomes less real. Most of us have already seen such instances when people posted highly edited pictures of themselves or even tricked others into thinking that they lead this lavish lifestyle when in reality it was all faked. Knowing how deceitful it is and how badly it can affect other people’s minds, TikTok user @just.a.sara decided to share the situation she found herself in, showing it as an example of why we should never compare ourselves to people that we see on social media as well as to never “bash” ourselves for not having this extravagant life filled with shots of beautiful places and expensive things. Have you ever asked yourself why can’t you live like that? Probably because rarely can anyone achieve such heights of perfection, and the TikTok user thought that she has a great opportunity to remind us all why we should focus more on the things that actually matter.
More Info: TikTok
It's hard to avoid the temptation of comparing yourself to others on social media despite understanding how dangerous that is
Image credits: just.a.sara
Sara Jane Van Ess is a copywriter & messaging specialist who likes to talk about various things on her TikTok account. Recently her content became viral because she decided to share the situation she went through when buying a new house. The woman revealed that she purchased a house from aspiring DIY influencers who saw the property as their project that they talked about on social media, thinking that this way they could create a community of like-minded people. When their activity didn’t go as planned, the house was bought by Sara, who saw the actual state of it. While she was okay with some worn-out or unfinished details seen in her new home, the TikTok user found out that the same house was portrayed differently on social media. After this, the woman realized that the situation shouldn’t be only limited to shaming someone who perhaps hid these flaws to try and gain attention or followers, but could serve as a valuable reminder to society about how fake social media platforms are.
TikTok user Sara decided to share how she bought a house from DIY influencers to shed light on how fake social media is
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
The main reason why Sara wanted to reveal this story was because she knew how many people see these beautiful and well-done houses where everything seems to be perfect, and then question, or even blame, themselves for not being able to live in the same conditions. The content creator even took some time to show people how easily manipulated these pictures can be without even having too much to invest. Sara shared how easily one can hide unfinished touches with some home décor, or play with distance to create different angles. She also didn’t forget to mention the almighty picture editing software that can make anything look flawless.
The woman bought a house knowing about its real state, but then found out how her new home had been portrayed on social media
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
Having in mind how much attention the TikTok user’s videos gained and how many people got involved in this, trying to understand all the ins and outs of the situation, Bored Panda contacted Sara to find out some of her insights on the matter. The woman shared that she knew that her content was interesting, but instead of just doing it for clout, she wanted people to take a more important message from it: “Social media isn't real. Our social media feeds are incredibly curated: you truly only see exactly what people want you to see. It’s something I think a lot of us are guilty of. It's not always malicious - and I don't think the previous owners of our home were being malicious - it's just something the nature of social media promotes,” – explained Sara. How many of us like to share only joyous moments of our lives and forget about our social media profiles when times are tough? What we forget is that most of us do the same. The TikTok user continued by sharing that “we want to feel put together and liked. We don't want other people to see the rough stuff. So we don't share it. The ramifications of this, though, are huge. Because when we spend hours of our day viewing social media, we begin to distort our reality around the highlights being presented. We can grow to resent our homes, minds, bodies, and lives.”
The way the house was shown on social media platforms was quite different from how it looked in reality
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
Seeing the discussion that was going on under her videos and people’s reactions, we were curious to know what Sara’s thoughts were on the things that were said online, including her favorite reaction. “My favorite reactions were people taking the message truly to heart and feeling more comfortable in their space. So many of our homes - including homes we see online - are truly not perfect. The paint, flooring, trim, windows, etc. are not perfect. It's just easier to judge your own space harshly because you're there every day, looking at the details so closely. I really loved that people were in the comments exclaiming how much better the videos made them feel about their own homes,” revealed the author of the post. However, some users were fixated on the less important things and thought that the whole situation was about someone trying to deceive another person and them falling for it. But according to Sara, this wasn’t the case, and “at the end of the day, this isn't about them or me or the housing market or inspections: it's about dismantling the hold social media has on our mental health and perceptions of our own reality.”
Knowing the power that social media holds over its users, Sara decided to address this situation in a matter that would make others feel better about their not so perfect homes
Image credits: just.a.sara
The woman was very specific about not wanting to shame anyone about showing the house differently than it is in reality, but to draw attention to how things are portrayed on social media platforms
A lot of users online struggle with comparing themselves to others online
Image credits: just.a.sara
Sara, who is a copywriter, knows the power of words and so she felt that this situation could be a good reminder of what the online world is really all about
Image credits: just.a.sara
Why is it so important for us to show this extremely aesthetic side of ourselves to the point where we show strangers something as private as our home? “We live in a finished picture society: we show the before and after pictures, and kind of ignore everything except results. It is uncomfortable and difficult to be vulnerable online, where people can use things against you and be really harsh. Instead, it’s easier to paint this picture of what we want our lives to look like: we show people only what we want them to see,” clarified the content creator, who didn’t want people who would look at the edited pictures of her new home to think less of themselves because what they might be admiring isn’t even real. This is why this story should inspire us to remember that behind those beautiful white carpets might hide unfinished floors, or that those windows might not sparkle that brightly on a cloudy day.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Don’t forget to leave them in the comments down below!
The videos about the house soon became viral online and people became invested in the story
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
The TikTok user even took some time to explain to people how easily someone can create pictures that distort the reality
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
The woman showed that it's all about putting things into the right places to hide the flaws and correct editing of the pictures
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara
Image credits: just.a.sara