Social Media: Phony or Authentic

Like all humans existing in the developed world today, I am an avid user of social media. I, of course, being of a certain age, am unable to stay on top of this phenomena that has us in its clutches. 

My teenage son is never far from what he calls "checking his social media". Yet again, I recently observed that my octogenarian father is not that far from his social media either. They both use it in different ways, my son to keep up to date possibly with trends and the latest gossip. My father for entertainment and to ward off loneliness.

This blog will not be about, the pros and cons of social media and what it brings to our life or not. It is more as a self observation on what does social media make us. Are we more honest or less so knowing that our audience is not in the same room with us?

As we go on with our daily life, we cannot help but compare and contrast what   we have, who we are, what our children are achieving, our total existence with others (mostly unconsciously, of that I am quite certain). It is true what they say "no one knows what lies beneath", we all put our best foot forward in a public space. 

Has social media driven us to be our authentic selves? or has social media brought out the phony in all of us? I sit on the fence with this topic. 

It has been an absolute pleasure to read, watch, and share diverse social media posts that came in numerous forms, that were the embodiment of authenticity. Today alone, I read an article written by a mother touching on the topic of regret in ever becoming a parent. Pre social media, a topic like that, may have never seen the light of day. Let alone an article on the subject being published or shared by thousands of individuals globally. Social media gives us a voice and wings were none existed previously.

Conversely, I rarely if ever, notice a photo of a married couple having a heated argument, a child having a temper tantrum, a mother crying in desolation at being a tired overworked woman, a home that is not perfectly furnished and organized, a meal that is not nutritionally balanced, a lazy slacker at a place of business, a human existing as a fallible being.

I rarely, if ever, read a post that tells the true story of someone's life. Even in knowing the reality of a person's struggles and ugly truths, when social media is involved it appears to be an act of oscar worthy performance. I have done it, you have done it, we all have done it! We relay an image and a reality that is as far from the truth as possible. Does that make us phonies? 

I will tell you, how it all makes me feel. For those that know me well, know I am a confidant go getter, that rarely gets swayed by what others think or say. Yet again, seeing the beautiful images and posts of lives made in heaven, induces in me a feeling of less then. Am I living a life less then perfect? Are my children less than others? Is my marriage less than the average? 

Well, you get the jest of my thinking. All this coming from a person that generally thinks she is doing just great in the life department. Can you fathom what social media "perfection" does to an individual battling the sense of imperfection every single day?

Here is what I have learned: With all the amazing changes social media has brought into our lives and homes, with all the beauty of sharing our lives with loved ones thousands of miles away, with all the information we have at our fingertips, we also have a responsibility for the truth. Let us all become more our authentic selves on social media, let us share, if not the whole truth, at least a partial truth of how difficult and magnificent it is to be a human.