I've read a couple of good articles in recent months regarding the "Perfect Life" people post on social media.
Our Double Lives and
I'm Not a Liar but Facebook Sure is are excellent examples of how social media portrays perfection when the reality is far from it. Both articles above do an excellent job of discussing the realities, social ramifications, and personal price tag that goes along with this false life and I'll not seek to rehash them. The question becomes, how do you live an authentic life and what, if anything, do you share on social media?
In days gone by, the perfect life lived before the cameras was reserved for Hollywood stars; their reality like ours, was a striking dichotomy between what the public saw and what the private life truly was. (Just watch any random episode of "Behind the Music".) Today, everyone has access to that platform and the expected corollary has manifested.
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| What We Present to the World |
Choreographed wedding dances, Jumbo-tron engagements, and Disney style family commercials disguised as vacation videos are nauseating because they are staged. Events, videos, and pictures that the sole purpose of their creation is to upload to the internet reek of desperation and narcissism. We've become actors in our own lives; stop it.
On the converse, social media is not your diary, nor is it a place to seek mental health advise. If most of your posts are about your next drink, you might need to seek help. So if you would not call me with your problem, perhaps it's best to keep some things private.
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| What Our Lives Really Look Like |
In the end, it takes wisdom and discernment. Be brutal, look through your posts, are they interesting? Are they well rounded? Are they varied? Are they honest? Do they convey interesting points? How many photos have you posted and how many of those are selfies? Do you joke about yourself, do you reveal your flaws? Are you real?
Our question remains, how do you live an authentic life on social media? It's difficult because a well lived life does not play well; but neither does the fake one.
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