Does Social Media Help or Hurt?

Is social media ruining us? Or are we ruining ourselves? When is say "ruin" I am referring to our happiness. I feel as though social media heavily impacts our state of mind, whether we are conscious of it or not. If you think about it, a majority of social media are mere snippets of our day to day lives, if that. And those snippets 9/10 are the coolest, most fun, happiest moments. What about our bad days, when we're running late to work and have spilled coffee on our pants? Surely we don't post those moments. But those moments are what make us real, and relatable human beings. I believe that when we become overly attached to social media we begin to chip away at our own happiness in the sense that we are constantly judging our own lives against the lives of our internet friends. That on top of beginning to strive for perfection in how we edit our pictures or reaching into our pockets to buy the hottest new item to show off... the list goes on. I remember when Instagram first started to become really popular. I really enjoyed that is was just pictures- and 'happy' ones at that. But recently I've come to find myself appreciating the posts that maybe aren't 100% "Instagram worthy," but ARE 100% real. In a world full of Facetune apps and chasing followers, sometimes taking a step away to remind yourself of what's truly important (IE: being present in the moments of your life) could possibly give you the spring back in your step you lost while scrolling through your Instagram feed. Just food for thought.