I'm not kidding about the Lost thing. Check it out:
But image is everything, and my presence on social media could actually make or break future opportunities for me now. My posts from high school were constant, nonsensical and had very few likes or comments. I honestly didn't care back then; if someone liked my status, that was cool. If they didn't, they could go to hell because Lost is clearly the best TV show of all time. (Seriously, I never stopped talking about Lost.)
In college, I started posting less and with intent but for all the wrong reasons. I had expanded my friends list and began experiencing that peer pressure to be liked, quite literally in this case. I think I had been pretty secure with my image in high school - though it was mostly all id - and I realized in college that I could be whoever I wanted to be.
You can imagine how confused I became over this. I started questioning if I had ever really liked myself if I wanted to change the way I interacted with people in social settings. Being on Facebook and receiving a certain number of likes from all these new friends just compounded these feelings more, creating what I believe to be a disingenuous image.
Of course there's the fact that I was dating a pretty terrible person at the time, but I think I would have felt the need to control my new image regardless of that relationship. It's just human nature. Now, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing that I realized the importance of crafting an image on social media. The circumstances aren't ideal but I'm still grateful that I learned what to post and how to discuss sensitive issues online without alienating others or coming across in a negative light.
I worked for my college's public relations office for nearly four years, which helped me understand how important social media is. From interacting with others in the office, I suspected that a negative social media profile could have prevented me from continuing to work there. I didn't like that, because I really loved my job.
Near the tail-end of my college experience, I started crafting an image on social media I am proud of and consider accurate. I now post less and with intent, but I know I'm saying things that are true to who I am. I still have a huge problem with getting overly excited about getting likes or comments on Facebook because I am human.
We all want to be liked. It's just a fact. If it were up to me, I would have a million followers on this blog who would write encouraging, you-go-girl comments on every post. Who doesn't want that?
That said, even a year removed from college I am finding myself caring less and less about how others perceive my social media profiles and more about whether or not my image is honest and positive. Being optimistic online is important because it shows that you can see light in the dark, that you are pleasant to be around.
It's what I find most difficult sometimes; I have days where I think everything in the world is terrible, and the last thing I want to do is think about the good out there. When I do, though, I feel a whole lot better about many things, including my thunder thighs and the unfortunate black hair that keeps growing on the big toe on my left foot.
And maybe that's the bright side of social media. On social media, I get to be who I want to be. I get to be the best version of myself. In a way, this encourages me to be better in my daily interactions at work and outside of it.
Social media is here to stay, like it or not. (See what I did there?)
If you use it to build relationships with others and inject a little positivity into the world, I think it's actually a great tool for cognitive growth.
In college, I started posting less and with intent but for all the wrong reasons. I had expanded my friends list and began experiencing that peer pressure to be liked, quite literally in this case. I think I had been pretty secure with my image in high school - though it was mostly all id - and I realized in college that I could be whoever I wanted to be.
You can imagine how confused I became over this. I started questioning if I had ever really liked myself if I wanted to change the way I interacted with people in social settings. Being on Facebook and receiving a certain number of likes from all these new friends just compounded these feelings more, creating what I believe to be a disingenuous image.
Of course there's the fact that I was dating a pretty terrible person at the time, but I think I would have felt the need to control my new image regardless of that relationship. It's just human nature. Now, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing that I realized the importance of crafting an image on social media. The circumstances aren't ideal but I'm still grateful that I learned what to post and how to discuss sensitive issues online without alienating others or coming across in a negative light.
I worked for my college's public relations office for nearly four years, which helped me understand how important social media is. From interacting with others in the office, I suspected that a negative social media profile could have prevented me from continuing to work there. I didn't like that, because I really loved my job.
Near the tail-end of my college experience, I started crafting an image on social media I am proud of and consider accurate. I now post less and with intent, but I know I'm saying things that are true to who I am. I still have a huge problem with getting overly excited about getting likes or comments on Facebook because I am human.
We all want to be liked. It's just a fact. If it were up to me, I would have a million followers on this blog who would write encouraging, you-go-girl comments on every post. Who doesn't want that?
That said, even a year removed from college I am finding myself caring less and less about how others perceive my social media profiles and more about whether or not my image is honest and positive. Being optimistic online is important because it shows that you can see light in the dark, that you are pleasant to be around.
It's what I find most difficult sometimes; I have days where I think everything in the world is terrible, and the last thing I want to do is think about the good out there. When I do, though, I feel a whole lot better about many things, including my thunder thighs and the unfortunate black hair that keeps growing on the big toe on my left foot.
And maybe that's the bright side of social media. On social media, I get to be who I want to be. I get to be the best version of myself. In a way, this encourages me to be better in my daily interactions at work and outside of it.
Social media is here to stay, like it or not. (See what I did there?)
If you use it to build relationships with others and inject a little positivity into the world, I think it's actually a great tool for cognitive growth.
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