So over the past two days I got to thinking – I know, you’re
probably not shocked by this – about how one’s social media life impacts the
actual life you lead. In fact, I think…no, I know, that people build up images
and profiles of others based solely what they see online. Sometimes those
things are accurate, other times they aren’t. I think that in the midst of
oversharing everything, maybe, sometimes, we forget the beauty of under sharing
things as well. Maybe that’s the trouble with people today…even me.
The Stress of Social
Media
Sometimes, the pretentious prowess of social media can stress people out. You
look at all of the posed photos, announcements and declarations, that maybe,
just possibly, you believe those to be “normal things”. In fact, maybe they are
now. Perhaps that is where our generation is headed…a generation full of
transparency…but should we really and truly head in that direction without
looking to what the past has taught us?
For Me…
I approach most things in life methodically, with a purpose
in mind…most days. However, I, like you, am human and subject to screwing up…sometimes
more than I would care to admit to. I have made mistakes on social media that
not even the “delete” feature can ever really take back. And why? Because, I
think for someone like me, who prefers a life in the corner, a life in the
shadows, it’s easier to interact at arm’s distance; easier to say things you
don’t mean, or easier to say things you do. Yet, in all of that, the person to
person interaction somehow becomes lost; devoid; changed. Maybe that is what we
(and me too) are missing today…
However…
As much as I (personally) enjoy my “corner” moments, being a
spectator of life as opposed to an actual participant, I have to wonder why
there is a disconnect between social media and reality. If you are one way in
life, but another online, does that not speak to who you are more than who
everyone else is? If it’s so easy to say or do things online that you would not
otherwise do or say in person, doesn’t that speak to our own inadequacies?
Or…maybe I’m overthinking a virtual realm, because for me,
it’s simple: what you see is what you get. Sure, I don’t share everything…because
not everything needs sharing, but, at my core, I think that what put out there
is a large part of who I am, because I’m not really afraid of what anyone else
thinks…good, bad, ugly or indifferent. And, while I struggle often and daily
with my own insecurities and in trying to navigate a world that I was not entirely
prepared for, I know that I’m trying…and I’m trying really, really hard…even
when I fall down, and even when I’m sorry for the fallout that causes others. I
am far from perfect, and I will probably always forever be far from perfect,
but my flaws and failures define me just as much as my successes do, I think. And, for each of them, I’m grateful.
So here is the
endgame…
Who are you? I mean…really? Who am I…really? Perhaps sometimes
we need to revisit that idea in order to shape our own reality, our own vision
of tomorrow; a way to make it better than yesterday.
In the end, does it matter more what we shared, or what we
chose to hide?
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