Selena Gomez is the verifiable queen of Instagram, but even she has her issues with social media.

The 25-year-old has been recognized by Time magazine for its “Firsts” project, which celebrates women who were the first to achieve something historic. Gomez — who became the first person to reach 100 million followers on Instagram last September — was dubbed “The Tastemaker,” and opened up to the magazine about maintaining her online presence.

“I am glad I grew up in the time that I did. I think it’s really hard to be a kid now, especially with social media,” she said. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up with that. It’s already difficult to get up every day and just feel good about yourself without seeing the highlights of everyone else’s life.”

Gomez’s ability to understand the pitfalls of social media has affected the way she shares her life with her fans. Mostly, she said, she makes it a point to show the world that her life isn’t always picture-perfect.

“That’s why I like being vulnerable with my fans on social media,” she continued. “I like that they’ve seen my mistakes. I try to use that as a way to connect with them. That’s all I can do. I hope that they know that strength doesn’t mean that you have to put on a facade. Strength is being vulnerable.”

In an Instagram post (how appropriate!) sharing her new Time cover, Gomez further reflected on the honor, writing, “When I read about the beautiful women who wake up consciously every day to make a change, it inspires me to want to do so much more. Not really sure how I got so lucky @time but thank you for highlighting the power of what we can and will always strive to be.”

It’s good to see the Instagram queen is doing something positive with her reign.