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Saturday, August 2, 2014

The most important "like" is my own

I will be the first to admit that I absolutely love social media.  I'm an addict.  I'm addicted to Instagram, FaceBook, Snapchat, and anything else I let myself start on.  I have always known I have an addictive personality, which is why I limit what I start.

I have been thinking a lot about how much I depend on them to feel connected to people or to feel good about my life.  It's almost like I gauge my self worth based on how many "likes" I get.  Every time I do something I consider semi-fun, I post it, as if to show the world that I actually have a life.  And I do have a life.  I have a great life, but I want to go back to a time when I didn't need other people to also know and "like" my life.  I kid myself into thinking that I post so much on social media so I can have some sort of history of my life for my kids and future generations, and honestly, that's why I started on Facebook.  I have never been good at journaling, even on my mission, where I had some of the most sacred and amazing experiences and personal growth.  I have always loved pictures, and I pride myself on the fact that despite not writing in my journal on my mission much, I finished my mission scrapbook.  Pictures have always been easier for me to document.

I don't like how much I rely on social media.  I don't like what it's become for me.  I enjoy seeing other people's stuff and memories, so I will continue to frequent the sites.  I like commenting on people's pictures.  I like seeing what they have been up to, but I can't continue to care so much about whether people like my stuff.  

I have decided to find a happy  medium.  I will still document my life for people to follow, but I will do it more through my blog.  I will not advertise that I added a new post like I used to.  I want to get back to why I started social media in the first place:  to document my life for my future posterity.  So that is what I am doing.  Back to basics.  More posts to come.  There may not be anyone who reads this, but I will have it for me.  

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