I know quite a lot of people whether it's in real life or online. I have many friends on Facebook, a bunch of followers on Instagram and a good amount of followers on Twitter. Many of these friends or followers of mine I have only met a couple of times or no times at all.
I'm always updating my social media, whether it's a picture of me strutting in my going out outfit or updating my family and friends of something new and exciting that's happened in my life, like a new job or a good exam score. If you look at my social media, it looks like I live a pretty great life, and don't get me wrong because I do have a great life. I have an amazing boyfriend, awesome friends, a supportive family, great jobs and I'm always wearing something nice like my new Hunter boots or that new basketball jersey that just came out. And everyone can see that on my social media pages.
I'm not here to brag about the things I have or the people I have in it because my social media only shows a part of my life. It doesn't show what goes on behind the phone after the picture is posted.
At 20-years-old, I'd say I have a pretty okay life and I have worked extremely hard to get where I am today. Many people do not know what I have been through, only a handful of close friends.
My life was amazing when I was growing up. My parents owned their own business and everything was great. When The Great Recession hit, my dad lost his business which resulted in us losing our house. We were forced to move. I didn't mind since I was younger and getting a new place was an adventure for me... until we had to move again due to rent being too much.
My parents were really struggling at this point. I remember coming home from school one day and having all the electricity out. It was because my parents couldn't afford the bill that month. Next, I was looking out the window watching my mom's car get repossessed. I still didn't get what was going on since I was still so young.
My parents soon got divorced later when I was only in sixth grade. It took a huge toll on me (like it does to any kid when their parents split.) My parents never got along after this. I was constantly in between their fights. This was all new to me...switching houses, bringing things back and forth and getting used to two beds.
My mom was dealing with some medical issues at this point and could not hold a job due to it. We were considered homeless for two months. She couldn't even afford to buy me underwear and socks. My dad didn't have money to spare either. I can't even describe the pain and sorrow I felt for my mom. I was only thirteen so I was too young to get a job or help out financially and I ended up thinking that it was all my fault because she had to take care of me.
I went through high school working as hard as I could. After seeing how hard my parents struggled, I wanted to make sure that I could take care of myself so I didn't have to depend on them as much anymore. I then hit rock bottom my senior year of high school where I was part of a mentally abusive relationship. Long story short, I got diagnosed with anxiety and depression and it drove me to where I thought the only way out was to take my own life. But thankfully I realized that my life is worth so much more.
I'm now a sophomore in college with a good GPA and have a start to my dream job. My life has had its ups and downs, and it still does. Currently, when I'm not at school, I live with my mom at my grandparent's house. My mom doesn't own a house, she's in the middle of saving up to get a place for her and me. I didn't have health insurance for a period of time since my dad took me off of his and my mom had no benefits. Not many people take health insurance coverage into consideration and how much it really is needed, but worrying about how I'm going to pay for my medication really isn't something I should be worried about at age twenty.
I have three jobs currently while taking 17 credits this semester. As well as paying for all my own schooling, groceries, and car repairs. I buy all my own clothes, shoes, makeup. Pretty much everything, unless it's my birthday or my parents have some extra money.
So yes, my social media may give off the impression that I'm thriving at college with my expensive outfits and cool jobs. But I have truly worked so damn hard to get where I am today. I get tired, I get stressed because who wouldn't? My parents still don't get along which means I still sometimes have to communicate for both of them. And both of them still sometimes struggle financially and I hate to see it. Of course, I'm not saying I have it worse than some people, because I know I don't. I'm saying that a lot of us (including myself) base people off of what we see on social media. We all have problems, we all cry.
Don't be quick to judge. You only see what I choose to show you.
To Those With A Negative View Of Odyssey, Here's Why It's Worth My Time
I'm not a clickbait farm, I'm a young, aspiring writer.
Something that I will never understand is why people have to be so negative when they're online. As a writer on Odyssey, it's hard to see some of the comments that people leave on articles or on Odyssey's Facebook page. From people tearing down writers who are vulnerable enough to openly share their opinions to people downright attacking Odyssey's brand, I'm here to say that I am a writer for the Odyssey and I am proud of it.
When I first joined Odyssey, I had no idea what was in store for me. I didn't know much about the company besides the fact that I see their articles circulate on my Facebook feed. But I can say that my experience writing on Odyssey has only been positive. I have grown as a writer and have learned how to communicate, work and collaborate in a professional manner. It has taught me discipline and has encouraged me to support and value others' viewpoints.
One of the most rewarding things about Odyssey is my position. I serve as the current editor-in-chief for my community (James Madison University) and get to help each and every one of my creators establish identities and learn all the things that I did as a content creator. I learned the importance of packaging articles and get to work one-on-one with professionals who help me whenever I need or want to.
I've found writing on Odyssey a very rewarding experience, so it puzzles me why people have to be so cruel and quick to bash my fellow Odyssey creators. One criticism I see a lot online is that Odyssey doesn't pay its users, but this isn't entirely true. We don't receive a payment for every article we post online, but if an article goes viral, the author is eligible for that article's ad revenue. After all, rewards should be earned, shouldn't they? Like most student writers, I don't write for money. I write because it is something that I love to do and I want to share my passion with the rest of the world.
(But for the record, I have gotten paid for some of my work, which helps motivate me to keep making my work better.)
Sharing your values and opinions openly isn't always the easiest thing to do. It's people like you who make us scared to do what we love. But you know what? It's also people like you who inspire us to keep doing it. Our goal is to spark conversation. There will never be a day where everyone on this planet agrees with one another and that is OK.
We are here to share our thoughts despite that.
We write so that others out there to know that they're not alone.
We write so that even if people don't agree with us, they can still see our work and form an opinion.
We write so that we can decompress.
We write so that we can prepare for a professional career and learn the skills that it takes to grow as a writer.
We are all human and we all have our own opinions. As a writer, I have learned to take things I don't agree with and write a professional response to it. Now, I don't know if that's just me, but it sounds much more intellectual than leaving a comment on Facebook stereotyping those of us who choose to write and shaming a company for sharing our work.
Odyssey is a great way to sharpen your writing skills and grow. My community has deadlines, meetings, rules, and expectations. We don't just scribble words into a text box and click post. I edit articles and the members of my community have to make revisions. It's not easy but it is so rewarding. It's an opportunity for our writing to be seen and for many of us, it's the start of making a name for ourselves. To be an Odyssey creator, you have to be open-minded and accepting of criticism. You have to be disciplined and committed to putting yourself out there, which is why it's so amazing to me that people try to put us down for what we do.
But hey, at the end of it all, one of our biggest goals is to gain as many people talking as possible. Whether you love our articles or hate them, your snarky comments make it clear that you've at least viewed our article, so thank you for adding to the conversation.
If you're still feeling so negative toward Odyssey and the people who create the content you see, I hope you're able to grow and find something that you are passionate about, just as I am about writing. I challenge you to expand your mind and become a more accepting individual and understand that people will never agree — instead of bashing people who choose to be vulnerable, congratulate them for putting themselves out there. Odyssey has taught me to support my community and everyone who writes chooses to write, whether I agree with their words or not. I hope you can learn to do the same.
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