Social media sharing is a big thing nowadays.
People share posts, photos, videos—almost everything.
I used to be one of those people too. But over time, it became too much for me. Too annoying. Too time-wasting. Too meaningless.
So guess what I did?
I stopped using most of my social media accounts unless I actually needed them—which means once in a while. I no longer feel that social media and “sharing” are worth my time.
Why do I feel this way?
Let me explain.
The Need to Connect
Imagine participating in a TV reality show.
The producers provide everything you need for survival: food, clothing, comfortable accommodation, and top-notch living conditions. There’s just one rule.
You must live in an isolated room.
No windows. No keyhole. You cannot talk to anyone. You cannot see anyone. In other words, no human interaction whatsoever.
How long do you think you’d last?
Not very long, right?
The need to connect with other human beings runs as deep as our need for food, clothing, shelter, recreation—even sex. You might survive without food for a while, but take away human connection, and life quickly becomes unbearable.
That’s why isolation is punishment.
That’s why people fear prisons.
Prisons Are Built on Isolation
It doesn’t matter what fancy names we give them—penitentiaries, correctional facilities, rehabilitation centers. Prisons operate on one simple principle:
Take away a person’s freedom to connect.
Because we all crave relationships, friendships, and a sense of belonging, isolation slowly wears the mind down. It denies us the freedom to connect with people of our choice.
That’s the real punishment.
From Fields to Feeds
Now let’s move to the countryside for a moment.
While working in the fields, people hum or sing together. In the evenings, they sit around with a cup of tea or a hookah, chatting and unwinding.
Public places—parks, clubs, street corners—are built on the opposite of isolation: connection.
And over time, the way we connect has changed.
Earlier, life was local. People barely knew what was happening beyond their town or village.
Then came the internet—and flipped everything upside down.
The Internet Changed Everything
The World Wide Web was the first real step toward connecting the entire world at once. It was revolutionary.
Just as people were getting used to being connected from their homes, social media arrived—and transformed how we express ourselves, share our feelings, and socialize.
Suddenly, you could voice your opinion, debate issues, raise concerns, or simply announce your presence.
Social media did what it promised to do: it encouraged people to socialize.
And then something strange happened.
People began expecting everyone to be active on social media.
That’s where things went wrong.
The Tyranny of Social Media
Just because most people socialize online doesn’t mean you have to.
(Individuality, anyone?)
But the pressure is real. I feel it almost daily. Conversations usually go something like this:
“What? You don’t chat on WhatsApp? Are you serious?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t check Facebook every day.”
“You’re a professional and you’re not on LinkedIn? Dude, what’s wrong with you?”
I don’t know—maybe I’m sane and you’re not.
Just kidding. Mostly. 😁
The Futility of Social Media
Picture this:
You’re talking to your best friend on WhatsApp. You speak into a microphone. So does your friend. Your voices travel through satellites.
Pause for a second.
What’s human about that?
You can’t truly experience a person through a screen—not even on video.
That’s my point.
Nothing Replaces Face-to-Face Interaction
No technology—no matter how advanced—can replace real, face-to-face human interaction.
Does that mean I don’t own a phone or use WhatsApp?
Relax. I do.
I mostly use my phone for information exchange. When it comes to relationships, I prefer meeting people in person—over tea, coffee, soup, mango shake, or a bowl of spicy Hakka noodles.
(Yes, that sentence was long. I noticed too.)
I like looking into people’s eyes. Watching them smile. Seeing their expressions.
I like socializing in its entirety.
Sure, face-to-face interaction has limitations. People aren’t always available when you are. Social media, on the other hand, is available 24×7.
And that’s exactly the problem.
When Everything Is Available, Nothing Is Valued
When something is always available, we take it for granted.
That’s what happened with social media.
What we call “sharing” today is mostly passive consumption. And real sharing is never passive.
Sharing Is an Active Process
Think about the last thing you shared online.
Was it yours?
Did you create it?
Or did you simply forward something that appeared on your feed?
If you truly want to share, you must first create something—anything you can call your own.
You enjoy funny videos? Shoot one yourself.
Love inspirational quotes? Write a few.
Crazy about poetry? Try composing some.
Forwarding isn’t creativity.
A Silly Analogy (But It Works)
Imagine two trees in a forest: a mango tree and an orange tree.
A hungry traveler rests under the mango tree, hoping for fruit. But the mango tree produces nothing. So it borrows oranges from its neighbor and hands them to the traveler.
The traveler eats, thanks the mango tree, and leaves.
The mango tree feels happy—but deep down, it knows the credit isn’t really his.
It could’ve felt truly fulfilled if it had produced even one mango—sweet or sour, big or small.
That’s the difference between passing things along and creating something of your own.
“But I Share My Own Photos!”
You might say, “I create my own photos—selfies!”
Sorry to disappoint you, but taking photos and uploading them isn’t creativity.
Ask yourself this instead: Why do you upload so many pictures?
For validation.
Because somewhere inside, you’re unsure.
You want people to comment. To tell you that you look good. That you matter.
And here’s the irony: the people validating you are also craving validation themselves.
It’s a mutual agreement.
“You comment on mine. I’ll comment on yours.”
You scratch my back. I scratch yours.
(Yes, back. Calm down.)
Your Life Is Private. Keep It That Way
What you do with your life is your business.
But I genuinely don’t understand this obsession with documenting everything.
Why must people know about your Saturday mall trip?
Why does dinner need a location tag?
Why photograph popcorn at the movies?
Why broadcast intimacy?
Don’t sneak into other people’s lives.
And don’t let anyone sneak into yours.
Maybe the Real Problem Is Boredom
Why are we so invested in other people’s lives?
Is it because our own lives don’t feel engaging enough?
Not exciting enough?
Not complete enough?
Maybe, instead of documenting our lives, we should spend more time actually living them.
Not for likes.
Not for comments.
Not for validation.
Just… for ourselves.
Go for a walk without tracking it.
Sit with your thoughts without reaching for your phone.
Tend to something living.
Finish something you once started and quietly abandoned.
Life doesn’t need to be announced to be real.
And it doesn’t need witnesses to be meaningful.
Some moments grow richer when they stay private.
Some conversations deepen when they aren’t recorded.
Some joys fade the moment they’re put on display.
I’ve noticed this in my own life.
The less I share online,
the more present I feel offline.
The quieter things become,
the clearer they start to feel.
You’re free to live differently.
As for me—
I’m learning to keep my life mostly offline,
my conversations unrecorded,
and my sharing deliberate.
That seems enough.
At least for now.
Until next time.
Ciao!