*This article originally appeared on Nadzirah Hashim’s Linkedin Profile.

For all you social media enthusiasts, I invite you to give your thoughts on this article.

But in case you have no time, in a nutshell the article is about this famous Instagram girl who rants about how she will quit social media because her life on Instagram is fake that in the end she has no money and she’s actually depressed so don’t believe all the photos you see as they were all edited. It’s nothing new but I felt I needed to address it.

Here’s a few lessons I can reflect from this article I read.

1. Instagrammers need to stop endorsing products they don’t have an opinion on. If you think brands are forcing you to change how you should post content then create a clause that says you have the right to give creative input to your content. Remember, it’s your account and you have the right!

2. Also, while you’re at it, please WRITE more content. Taking a photo of the product and tagging doesn’t give an in depth knowledge of how you actually feel about it – which is why I always favor Instagrammers who have Blogs and are willing to share their thoughts on how they feel about the product given. If you have no thoughts, then I suggest you start using your brain more or change career.

3. Brands need to stop using the NUMBERS as a benchmark. 500,000 followers doesn’t necessarily equal to conversions. How are the comments ratio? Are the commenters from the target market you seek? Choose an ambassador that engages their community. Choose an ambassador who cares to share the ups and downs of life and is willing to tell you what they think of your product. Why would you engage in “real” people otherwise? You need to know the quality of your product from a truthful perspective so you can improve.

4. Instagrammers, take note. BE REAL. We are all imperfect and its ok to show people our shitty hair days, awkward poses, silly faces and all that. In fact, if you’re going to take a selfie, do it just once and be happy with that momentary look you gave cos it’s how you truly felt at that second. Don’t delete it. Who cares if it wasn’t right the first time? And by the way, the numbers don’t matter. It’s your personal sharing space and the ones who truly care will respond.

5. And really, Brands need to understand that social media is not directly about selling products. It’s about finding the target market you want and getting them to interact with your product through articles, visuals and media that you have created or found. If your target market is not responding, then figure out why. That way you won’t waste your money targeting those who shamelessly ask for freebies and give no value (aside from giving a photo) to your brand.

6. Overall, its not social media that got this girl miserable. It’s this “perfection” mindset that is creating the depression and loneliness that we can all easily get sucked into. And while I do understand that we should not be glued to our gadgets, brands need to sell their products too. But if both ends of the spectrum can understand that its ok to be imperfect, (that Instagrammers can show their real self and brands should strive to improve on a genuine content marketing strategy) we will create a synergy that is beneficial for both ends. Both sides need to understand life is a working progress – and that happiness comes from embracing ourselves for all that we are. Choose imperfection – because really thats what makes life!

These are just my thoughts. Thanks for reading. Looking forward to hearing what you think. 🙂

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