Is being a social media sensation worth it?

Is being a social media sensation worth it?

1 piece of article and you become the national news. My post, news about me reached millions of Nepalese within a few days. The unexpected applause I received was truly heartwarming. Trying to cash in on my rejuvenated social media popularity, I opened Facebook and TikTok accounts. I posted a few videos on TikTok and gained more than 1000 followers within a week. My videos received thousands of likes, shares, and comments and views on TikTok almost reached half a million. I became viral with my friends, family, and relatives in awe of the amount of praise I was garnering on social media. 

Despite this widespread acceptance from the social media community, I just couldn't continue on this path of being a content creator. My brain is not designed for this shit, I realized. And even though my thoughts and ideas have the potential to gain a million followers in a year, I just don't want to go down that path, not yet! 

My screen time after my post became viral skyrocketed and I averaged 6-7 hrs per day on my phone. I just couldn't help myself from checking how many likes, comments, shares, and followers I gained. My brain was addicted to the constant hit of dopamine. This has happened to me before. I had been a sensation on the internet a few years back. I know how this ends.

At first, my brain lures me with the possibilities and keeps me hooked with constant validation and rewards. I could be a social media star. I could be a popular and cherished content creator. Imagine the volume of followers that you can gain. Imagine how much you could earn being a creator. Social media is not the devil and it all comes down to how you use it. Use it to become great. 

So what is greatness in today's world? A million followers? A nasty income through content creation? Living your life on social media and showing off more than you should to strangers on the internet? 

Will people never cherish me if I am not on social media? Will people never get to know who I am without social media? Will my name disappear in the sands of time if I stay off social media? It's a scary thought to entertain. 

Do the advantages of being on social media outweigh the anarchy it spreads in my personal life? Do I want to restart my perennial love-hate relationship with social media again? Do I have the time to engage in this dogfight? 

Followers. likes, celebrity status, money, virality, being the talk of the town, or mental peace, clarity, focus, happiness but anonymity? 

I choose the latter. Everyone knows the viral folks of social media but can they ever be compared to an anonymous figure who is at the top of his respective field? Imagine the number of doctors who live off the grid, serve humanity, and live a great life without having the urge/ tendency to be a viral sensation. Are these doctors better or worse than the seemingly cool doctors of social media? 

Ultimately, it's the purpose and the path you take. Either you touch lives by being a sensation or be sensational at your work and life and then allow your life to do the talking for you. 

Maybe you can be great both on and off the internet but I am more vulnerable to the evils of social media. Instead of trying to create value through social media, maybe I am better off living a life that automatically generates value and influence of titanic proportions.