Is social media taking over our lives?

In a recent survey carried out by renowned bridal store, Kadee Bride, it revealed that 72% of brides-to-be feel pressure to lose weight ahead of their big day, while 10% also admitted to asking their bridesmaids to do the same!

The shocking statistic emerges in an era where social media plays a huge role in wedding planning, seeing it influence brides who want to look their best on their wedding day, not only for their guests, but also for their online presence.

Speaking to the two owners of Kadee Bride, Dee and Katt Shine, who have been in the industry for over twenty years they advised that this statistic doesn’t surprise them and how many brides compare themselves to other brides and other bridal parties who they see online on daily basis.

Speaking about the survey findings, co-owner of Kadee Bride, Dee Shine said “This stat comes as no shock to me as the majority of our brides at their first fitting will discuss what their dress will look like in a few months’ time when they’ve lost weight, with most telling us they plan to drop at least a dress size before the big day. We have noticed this trend creeping in over the years”.

Posting wedding photos on social media has now become the norm with photos going up on social media platforms within minutes of being taken, which has resulted in a new trend of brides and grooms either mentioning it at their ceremonies or printing it on their invites or booklets to:

‘please refrain from posting any images to social media’,

a request that would have once been a common courtesy, but instead nowadays has to be requested.

It begs the question, is social media taking over our lives and instead of a wedding being solely about the bride and groom and the guests they have chosen to share their day with, it is now shared with millions around the world within seconds.

I have used weddings as an example however it’s not only weddings where this comes into play, when you think about it we use social media for everything these days.

• News Updates – Twitter and Facebook
• Communication with friends – WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Viber
• Interior design – Pinterest and Instagram
• Wedding planning – Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest
• Food reviews/recommendations – Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram
• Travel Suggestions – Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest
• Sports Results – Twitter
• Missing People – Twitter and Facebook
• Traffic Updates – Twitter

Social media has well and truly taken over nearly every aspect of our lives…

Is this a good or a bad thing? Let the debate begin! 

Edel

Edel Cox is an Account Director with Fuzion Communications who are a Marketing, PR and Graphic Design firm with offices in Dublin and Cork