Social media has become so much more than just a way to connect with family and friends.

Nowadays, people use social media to develop their own personal brand. If you scroll through any network news feed, you’ll notice that most of the photos are far from being unpremeditated. In a time where likes are basically currency, people are willing to go above and beyond to get some social media love from their followers.

A lot of people have become very strategic with their posts, and some go completely overboard, orchestrating photos to a ridiculous degree.

However, the real kicker is that the overall goal seems to be to make these intricately constructed photos seem completely effortless. Here are 25 pictures that show how the “perfect” social media photos people post online are really one giant lie.

1. When it comes to social media, looking like you are certifiably insane to a couple of onlookers is completely justifiable as long as your followers don’t know the truth. It appears that this girl wanted to show the world how connected to nature she is, but little do they know, she’s just loitering in a backyard, which hopefully is her own.

 

24 Pictures That Show Perfect Social Media Photos Are All A Lie

Eden Cyril, Staff Writer September 26, 2017

 

4. If only social media allowed you to actually take a step back and look at the bigger picture. There’s a reason this photo was so delicately framed. The background becomes a lot less dreamy when you realize that this girl is lying half on a sidewalk in someone’s unkempt front lawn.

 

5. It’s unclear where it all began, but somewhere on the social media trend timeline, pool floaties became an absolute summer staple. There’s nothing that shows you’re livin’ it up quite like a sun-drenched filter-adorned bikini-clad photo atop a giant unicorn/swan/donut. However, anyone who has ever mounted one of these things knows that getting on and off is far from glamorous.

 

6. Turns out legs aren’t just good for walking! Apparently, these limbs make foolproof doubles for ample cleavage and a refined rump. No wonder Ariel wanted a pair so bad to win over Prince Eric. It’s almost like social media is preparing people for a career in advertising as they’ve come to understand the art of illusion quite well.

 

7. In all fairness, a few potted plants, a set light, and a red solo cup are significantly cheaper than actually going somewhere tropical. However, the high risk of running into someone you know while “vacationing” might shatter this illusion pretty quickly.

 

8. Isn’t the purpose of a selfie stick so you can get a full shot of yourself when there’s no one else around to take the picture? Apparently, these two missed the memo on that one, or maybe having the stick in view is part of some new social media trend? It’s hard to keep up.

 

9. Until there’s a bra that is as effective as a best friend’s hands then the least photogenic of the trio will just have to do. There will probably be a lot of social media diehards that will truly suffer if 360 cameras become more commonplace, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

 

10. You truly have to wonder what the overall goal is when someone tries to fake a significant other on social media. If you are single, wouldn’t this technique deter any potential romantic interest rather than provoke it? Who knows? Maybe they are playing the “everybody wants what they can’t have” angle.

 

11. If someone you follow on Instagram or Facebook only has pictures with the back of their significant other’s head, you have every right to be suspicious. This “couple” photo manages to go from endearing to incredibly creepy in just one quick switch of angles. Luckily, this setup is just a joke, but no one would be that surprised if someone did this seriously.

 

12. As long as you get that one perfect shot, no one else has to know about the 200 other failed attempts taking up space in your camera roll. If you ever start to feel self-conscious looking at the perfect lives others on social media, just remember there’s a blooper reel of pictures that didn’t make the cut.

 

13. When a picture looks a little too good to be true, that’s probably because it is. At first glance, you might not even notice anything off about this whimsical couple snap. However, then you realize that all hands are occupied here and wonder who the hell is taking this picture.

 

14. It’s a competitive feed out there and sometimes you’ve just got to go take things an extra step further (literally) to dazzle those followers. Is this young woman truly pondering her purpose in life while gazing out a rainy window or is she wondering just how low she’ll stoop to entertain strangers?

 

15. There’s nothing quite like scaling a vertigo-inducing mountainside to show off your sense of adventure. The best part is, you don’t even need a real mountain to pull it off. Just make sure your photographer knows how to play with perspective so no one knows that you’re really further from danger than most pedestrians casually crossing city traffic.

 

16. Anyone lying this close to the beach only has a brief moment of glory before becoming consumed by the tide’s fury. Remember that the next time you see someone casually photographed lying in the water. They either bounced up after the shutter or became completely submerged, which are both outcomes that squander the initial pose’s intentions.

 

17. Looks like the only person who ended up believing that this guy was in danger of falling off a “cliff” was his dog. They don’t call them man’s best friend for nothing. You have to wonder what the appeal of these faux fall pictures are because if someone was in danger, you’d really hope the first instinct wouldn’t be to Instagram it.

 

18. You can really save a significant amount of money traveling by just investing in a large flat screen television. In the world of social media, you can go absolutely anywhere the channels allow. That’s really the only reason anyone travels anymore, right? The resulting pictures being pure like bait?

 

19. Did you think magazines were a thing of the past? Think again! They are now basically a catalog of potential Instagrams for you to steal. Don’t have a boat or even live close to a shoreline? No problem. As long as your followers believe it, it’s as real as it gets.

 

20. It’s amazing how much a camera angle can change the picture entirely. You don’t have to actually live large to make others think you are living that way. Supersize? No thank you! Pocket that extra cash and go home hungry, but still have the world think you’re living like a king.

 

21. If everyone else is promoting a fake lifestyle on social media why limit your options? Until you are able to live out your Pinterest dream board, might as well hit up the local home show and reveal your new pad to your followers. Just make sure no one asks to come over and that you have a valid excuse for why you had to leave.

 

22. You can only imagine that this guy sarcastically captioned this photo something along the lines of, “Hard day at work.” However, in all fairness, this guy probably did take the picture in his place of work despite it being wildly misleading. The true question is where do you find such a minuscule prop laptop?

 

23. Just because your dog isn’t placing in any competitions in real life doesn’t mean that you can’t fake the memories. If you’ve got a large enough computer screen then you basically have your own green screen of endless possibilities. Why stop at a dog competition? Take your dog to all the places you’re too lazy to in real life.

 

24. Everyone loves to boast about their favorite team winning a game, but you get to boast on a whole new level when you’re actually in attendance. However, you can save yourself the price of admission by investing in a desk lamp and two crew members to make your fake life a reality.

 

 

 

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