For the last year, Facebook has implemented a memories feature that allows you to see old statuses and pictures that you've posted. I mean, does anybody look at their Facebook memories and feel mortified or is that just me? As an aspiring marketing professional, I believe that this feature is genius. But as a social media consumer, I think it's cringeworthy.
You know what I'm talking about. 12 years old, thinking you were so cool; adding extra 'o's to the word cool. Using c/t after every phrase hoping that people would call or text you. Letting people know where you were going and who you were going there with. Using parenthesis and semicolons to form smiley and angry faces in a pre-emoji world. Those seemed like the days. Though I want to ball up in a corner and cry while looking at some of my statuses, I feel like there are valuable lessons to be learned from taking a stroll down memory lane.
We all have to grow at some time: Seeing these statuses has made me so thankful that I've grown up (a little). My memories have shown me the natural and steady progression that I've made from a hardheaded kid to a (somewhat) responsible adult. When I go places, I now don't feel the need to let the world know what I'm doing and who I'm doing it with. I've learned the importance of being present and enjoying the time you have without letting the world know everything.
There are a lot of people who don't grow up: On the other hand, you may have grown up, but there's a lot of people who don't. Unfortunately, Facebook doesn't allow you to view other people's memories (literally, I would have blackmail for days), but when I see people sharing their memories daily on Facebook, I see that they still haven't changed. If you are doing the same things at 21 that you were doing at 11, there is something wrong with you.
I didn't know sh*t and frankly, I still don't: During those days, I thought that I was the coolest person ever and that I had the answers to everything. According to my younger self, I "knew" where I was going to college, what I wanted to be and the friends that would be in my life. How wrong I was. I've learned that no matter what plans I have, God has a way of producing even greater ones.
Correct grammar matters: I mean, seriously, would it have killed me to form a proper sentence without drawing out every word like thissssssssss and thaaaaaaat?! Remember when I talked about my memories being cringeworthy? Well, that was what I was referring to. Word of advice for kids who are on social media, it's cooler to articulate your words and spell them correctly than to try and sound cool by dragging them out.
