real life

"Why I wish everyone would just boycott social media on New Year's Eve."

Friends,

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimised by New Year’s Eve? If you’ve ever felt sh*t about your December 31 plans or like the entire world is having fun on NYE, except you?

Me too. And I’m calling it – it’s social media’s fault.

I blame The Facebook for the universal feeling of self-loathing and inherent un-coolness 15 million Australians experience on NYE. I made that stat up, but judging by the number of hands I can see in the air, I’m not wrong, am I?

The pressure to have THE BEST NEW YEAR’S EVER with the most attractive and fun people in existence doing something epic like popping champagne on a boat or having a boozy picnic with 30 of your closest friends is real, and it all stems from seeing how “amazing” a time everyone else is having counting down to the New Year.

On SnapChat. And Instagram. And Instagram stories. And Facebook stories. And Facebook statuses. And email. OK maybe not email. Hopefully not.

But it’s too much, right?

"Every NYE, I get social media envy. And I know I'm not the only one." Image: New Line Cinema.
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Back in the olden days when our rents were trekking it through six inches of snow to get to school (or maybe that's just... my dad?), one needn't have worried about what everyone else was doing at 11:59 on the last day of the year. You just got on with your own plans, whether they were a party with friends, dinner with family, watching fireworks, blacking out somewhere at 5am or watching TV at home. Hell, you might've even... enjoy them.

So why, in 2017 do we need every person we've ever met, or not met, to know that GUYS, I'M HAVING THE BEST NIGHT? Can't we just have the best night, quietly?

The answer is no, but I'm going to propose this anyway:

Instead of checking in, snapping or 'gramming (is... that a thing?) your New Year's, how about we all agree to live in the moment and not post anything at all. No stories. No geo-tagging. Let's go cold turkey.

LISTEN: Social media expert, Bec Sparrow explains why it's important to think before you send on The Well (post continues after audio...)

It won't be easy and no one except the people you're physically with will know you're having fun. But it'll be OK. We'll get through it together.

"But I can't help it I've got hip and happening friends who plan epic parties on NYE," you cry. "It's not my fault I'm cool and you're not."

No, it's not your fault. But the fact still remains. I don't want to see OR hear OR know anything about your NYE. You enjoy your night. I'll enjoy mine. Happy freaking New Year.

Do you agree? Does seeing everyone else's plans make yours feel inferior?