Be Yourself on Social Media

Social media has created an environment where people who live in their mother’s basement can post pictures of traveling the world so that the world will never know they’re homeless. Couples can smile and cuddle under the flash of a Selfie while sleeping in separate beds. Writers are encouraged to show snapshots of their lives so readers can see the real but is it? Real? We want people to Like Us and Follow our life but most of what you see online is superficial. Just because you don’t see much of me doesn’t mean I am unhappy. You don’t see me posting lots of pictures of my life because I actually have one. Not many pictures of my husband because we are truly happy so I don’t feel obligated to prove it. I’ll post them when I feel like it. No images of food because I cook in real life. There’s nothing wrong with sharing a piece of yourself online but it does not define who you are. If you’re not into getting personal on social media that doesn’t mean you’ve doomed a failure. Just because they (I still don’t know who they are) say you have to tell us what you had for dinner last night doesn’t mean that you must if that’s not who you are. My social media of choice is Twitter but only because I like it. I Tweet and Retweet when I want to and to be honest I’m not thinking about how it makes me look. I’m not thinking about what people think of me, I’m just doing what I enjoy doing. The point is that the uniqueness we all talk about is important to have is really simple. It just means that you are being yourself. This automatically sets you apart because this “Yourself” is different from anyone else. Not even Twins have the same fingerprint (and as a Twin I can tell you we can be very different. Tracey and me are two different people who happened to be born five minutes apart). If the expert says I should post more about my favorite food, I get it. Try and be relatable but is this me? No, it’s not me because EC does not talk about food. My point is that advice must be filtered or it will have you behaving in ways that aren’t you. I am not saying not to be strategic but that you can still be successful without getting extremely personal if that’s just not you. If you remember nothing else remember this: in a world of sameness you’re either different or invisible so you may as well just be yourself because YOU are unique and beautiful and all the words I didn’t say.

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Yecheilyah

Writing to restore Black historical truth through fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

36 thoughts on “Be Yourself on Social Media”

  2. I guess people’s standard of happiness depends on how.many likes and how they can brag things on Facebook. I mean, not all of them has this intention. I just hope we all realize how important it is to live not based on your social media post, but how you truly enjoy every second of life.

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      1. I’ve had this conversation plenty of times with people and sadly some do thrive off the attention that is given via the Internet. But I also agree with that not all have the intent for likes and social fame. I think it’s pretty obvious to tell when it’s done for likes and such. People have different agendas and motives ultimately, and for some, it’s attention. But that’s a symptom of underlined issues elsewhere, that’s all.
        Do they consider blog sites as social media? 🤔 I always considered or thought blogging to be like an online journal or diary. I’m curious to know. Anyways, I do agree that social media can be overwhelming. Another real and honest post! Thank you for sharing.

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        1. True. Of course, this isn’t the thought of everyone. Its always silly to assume such things. I would agree blogging is also a form of social media. Thanks for leaving a comment on the table 👍

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          1. I had to ask because I am new to blogging and I don’t use Facebook, Twitter and such so I really didn’t know. And no, thank you for sharing what some just won’t say and want to🤓

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            1. That face lol. You’re welcome hun and welcome to blogging! I want to say, though I do consider the blog a form of social media, it is used in a slightly different way as lets say Facebook or Twitter. People have many reasons for blogging but I’ve learned the best do pay close attention to their stats and numbers. Not in an arrogant “I’m gonna see how many likes I can get” kind of way but in a monitoring for growth kind of way. In this case, likes and comments can be very motivating. In short, this post isn’t so much geared toward the blog as it is other forms of social media.

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  4. Pingback: Be Yourself on Social Media | Campbells World

  9. I’m one of those people who lives with her parents and can’t cook but posts picture of vacations and food. I’m not very “real” on Facebook but I’m real on my blog. I hear that social media is bad for one’s self esteem but as someone with abysmally low self esteem, it’s improved mine.

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    1. Hey Kira! Nice to meet you.

      That is great that you are real on your blog. It probably means you feel more comfortable there. Personally, (and this is just my opinion) I wouldn’t say social media is bad for self-esteem. I would just say that there needs to be more balance in how we use it. If it gets to the point where we let it control our lives, how we feel, and alter our already stable way of thinking, then it can be toxic. But if used correctly: to uplift, educate, and inspire, then it can be a good thing too. Thanks Kira for leaving a comment on the table!

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  10. Great advice, one has to be true to oneself. After all, honesty is the best policy.
    I blog about my life and writing , i.e., the ABC’s of me.
    I am not an egomaniac, nor do I consider my life all that exciting. However, I am a social butterfly. On my blog, I’m basically “chewing the fat” as I would with the waitresses at the local diner or other venue.
    Nice to meet you Yecheilyah…I’ll be following.

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  12. I completely agree. And I have to say, my social media is more a refelction of me as an author then a refection of me as a person (though, of course, you can’t really have the one without the other 😉 ) What I mean is that I don’t use social media to express myself, but rather with a purpose in mind. That’s why you’ll find very few pics of me on any social media, and you won’t find any pic of my family.

    There’s nothing wrong in using social media as personal expression, of course, but I think that this is a form of communication that best works when one has a specific goal in mind. Otherwise, it’s very easy to get suck up… in all possible, even not very peasant, ways.

    Just my thought.

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  14. Pingback: Be Yourself on Social Media — Pearls Before Swine – Anna Haycock

  16. Too many people these days seem to base their self-worth on the number of likes or re-tweets they get. Folks seem to forget these are people they have never actually met, and who have no real effect on their life.

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  17. This was a great post! I have social media accounts for my professional self as an author, and I focus those on promoting my books and sharing great reads with my followers. I have another social media account that I use to promote positive self-esteems. And then, I have my personal Facebook account where I connect with my friends and family. I keep my private life private, and that is how I like it, but maybe that’s because I enjoy being a wallflower. lol! 😉

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    1. You sound like me! I know they say to share other stuff to be more personable but like, I don’t even share personal stuff like that in real life…lol why would I do it online? When I do post something semi-personal on Twitter, I find myself deleting it. Doesn’t feel right. I’m cool. I’ll continue to share business type stuff, helpful writer articles, posts and my writing but that’s it and that’s me.

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  18. While reading this, it reminded me the time Whatsapp released its “Stories” and how everyone joked about it calling them copycats at first but later on, everyone’s making up those “Stories” as well…Like it’s some kinda basic necessity for surviving on social…makes no sense right…

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    1. For me, life is about balance and anytime we are unbalanced it can create problems. For instance, there’s no sin in snacking but too much will surely cause issues in the long run. Snacking is therefore good when it is balanced with exercise and more nutritional foods to work. I see social media the same way. It’s not bad to adhere to certain ways of doing things, learning strategy and applying business sense. But if that’s not balanced with who that person is innately (if they are just doing it just because) then it’s not necessarily going to work for him or her. Social media is great but it is far too unbalanced these days. There’s no way in the world people should be sitting across from one another tweeting or face booking but not talking to one another.

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