Today, a lot of our personal lives can be found on social media. Our Instagram feeds are where we post the most flattering pictures and our well thought out captions because we want to create a version of ourselves that will go so far to even convince us that we are the type of person that we aspire to be.
But who are we really to our friends and followers without the presence of social media? It feels like a loss when someone decides to delete their Facebook page because you no longer have that version of them. But what version were you actually attached to? The person in real life or just their profile? I personally believe that social media doesn't inherently have to be misleading in this way.
In all cases, the power of your image comes from how you use it.
This is why we each have the agency to use social media in a way that doesn't just show our "best" selves.
Lately, I've been trying to be honest about my experiences with mental health and the challenges I had last year. I posted on my Instagram page in a caption that fall quarter was rough because I was dealing with the side effects of antidepressants.
Last year, I wrote in a caption on an Instagram post how I was overcoming grief and how I was going through a period of uncertainty and sadness, but I was glad that I had people in my life who supported me. I don't erase pictures of me and exes and I am not afraid to write about how I have gone to therapy or that I have anxiety and more on my social media profiles.
I wrote these posts because I wanted my social media to accurately and truthfully reflect all the things I've been through. I have stopped trying to show that everything is fine or hide the people who were once so important in my life.
If someone was to look at my feed, I hope they wouldn't just see a woman whose life is fine and dandy; someone who has achieved academic and personal successes, traveled a lot, and seems like she's having a great time with everyone. If someone was to truly look at my social media, my hope is that they'd see someone who has grown and who isn't afraid to tell her story.
Looking at our social media, we shouldn't be afraid to share our stories. The good, the bad and the ugly. In a world where we are looking so much for connection through the internet, we can find more of it if we are willing to share our experiences and find empathy with others.
We could all feel a little less alone if all of us were able to show a little bit more of what we were struggling with and not just our accomplishments and most ideal aspects.
We all have stories that are worth showing that are not on our social media pages. We have stories of resilience, confusion, growth and more that are still such an important part of our lives. Instead of envying our friends because they only share their high points, if we were all a little bit more willing to share the honest parts of our story, there would be less isolation and less feeling that you're not "measuring up" to others.
Telling our stories honestly through social media is an act of bravery. But it can also lead to more instances of empathy and less of people feeling isolated or alone in their struggles.
Because after all, at the end of the day, aren't we all striving for a connection? Sometimes having genuine connection means taking the brave step towards being vulnerable and telling the stories that need to be told.
