The Offline Paradox

Why Living an Un-Shared Life Can Lead to Ultimate Happiness

If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?

If people don’t tweet, are they doing anything with their life?

A photo I took at the local high school’s Senior Night

In today's society, everyone is constantly sharing and documenting their every moment online. We can't go a day without scrolling through feeds filled with flashy vacations, extravagant dinner dates, and perfectly curated lives; or the complete inverse where dumpster fires are shared, without any effort to course correct.

Have you ever stopped to wonder, does a high number of posts, shares, likes, and followers equate to true life satisfaction?

As someone who has been pretty absent from social media for a few months now, I can say that internet activity does not represent anyone’s real-life success. In fact, it can often create a false sense of accomplishment and lead to a never-ending cycle of comparison and validation.

---

I cover this more in-depth here:

---

I've been busy building my photography brand and capturing beautiful moments, yet I haven't shared them online the same way I used to.

And you know what?

It hasn't affected my life satisfaction one bit.

In fact, it has had the opposite effect – it has allowed me to truly appreciate and savor those moments without the pressure of sharing them with the world. I do my thing, and the result is running into people in town who talk about the photo they saw and appreciated, or they ask to book a session with me. I am having a great time, and the internet family of mine, they’ve seen some of it, but not like they used to.

This has been a period of personal growth, and as always, with new understanding, comes changed behavior.

There will always be new people joining the social platforms, and there will always be new humans coming across your timelines, but does that mean you should remain in place, like a street sign meant to guide these folks to where they’re looking to go?

Should we, as individuals, make the collective sharing of our life experience, as essential to our existence as sharing our voice, and life mission?

True happiness and fulfillment cannot be measured by a social media algorithm; It is created from within and is influenced by our real-life experiences and relationships.

By constantly sharing every aspect of our lives online, we may miss out on living in the moment and connecting with those around us. We lose sight of what matters – genuine interactions and creating meaningful memories.

So, the next time you find yourself scrolling through social media, remember that what you see is more often than not, a highlight reel and nothing indicative of the daily grind that person slogs through.

Real life happens offline.

The laughter shared with loved ones, the quiet moments of self-reflection, and the small victories make up our true life satisfaction.

I'm not saying we should all delete social media accounts and disappear from the digital world. I’m literally writing on Substack, and I post all of my photos on my Instagram; but let's not let it consume us and dictate our happiness.

Let's prioritize living our lives offline and appreciating the experiences that don't make it to our online profiles.

Remember, the moments you choose to keep to yourself are just as valuable, if not more so, than those you share online. So put down your phone and live your life to the fullest, for yourself, no more or less.

- Zac