Something we often fail to highlight on social media, to our co-workers, to our friends and even to our family is the true picture of our reality.
What picture comes up when a stranger clicks onto your social media profile?
We have become modern day Michelangelos to sculpt the perfect aesthetic for our profiles. We suddenly have so much power and this ability to be in control of our digital footprint, and form the first impression someone will have of us on the web.
We jump to showcase and highlight the good, the extravagant, the positive, fun things in our lives - to show we are all living our best lives and doing so well. It begs for the question to be asked :
There is a time, a place, a function, an intention for every matter and situation - that cannot be denied - whether it be for self contentment, for marketing and self promotion, because your friends are doing it or maybe it’s just the ‘in-thing’ to do.
If you think more deeply into the reason behind social media, our answer lies within it. Social media is a means of communication; its aim is to facilitate communication through digital arenas; to make things easier, more convenient, be able to share more than we were possible able to before with a better interface - but somewhere down the line its purpose has been distorted and tweaked to something much more superficial.
Facebook was not originally intended to become a company - it was to fulfil a social mission of making the world more open and connected. Instagram was a means of communication with others with just photos. If we are to be more connected and open with each other, it will always stem down to being honest and sharing stories whether they are terrific or terrible.
Sharing a story of struggle takes courage on any platform whether it is in person, via text or an audio recording, but a step taken towards sharing both sides of the coin will become a thoroughly meaningful experience. Your Instagram profile will no longer be just your food log or a pedestal for your selfies or holidays, but it will become a reel of life events, both significant and small, to look back on over the years - to see your growth, your heartbreaks, the blissful moments and much more.
If you already do all these things, that’s great. Then this article is written to highlight your honesty and what sort of influence you can have with your digital footprint and posts. It isn’t something people think about as they immediately go to post something on a platform, but this should be the idea behind sharing a story or sharing content. A story you share today could really help someone, give them a push they need, inspire someone or even vice versa. Maybe you need help out of a rut, maybe you need a push in the right direction - let your voice be heard.
Before you think about how honest you are online, how honest are you with yourself offline?
#YouCantTeachHeart
