Authenticity on Social Media

Now and then I see posts from people who decry the way Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other major social media platforms have become avenues for people to be inauthentic with others, to project that I-have-a-perfect-life image of themselves. Every pose is perfectly angled, every scene set up to be as picturesque as possible.

This had me asking myself if I’ve also been doing the same thing because if I have, then I wanted to stop doing it. I went back and forth between yes and no, and right now, my answer is still a bit of Yes and a bit of No, but really more of No.

I do have a tendency to post mostly the good things — -the beautiful sunsets I am privileged to behold, the kitchen successes, the pretty flowers in full bloom. I also try to post mostly visually appealing photos (I have no photography skills, so that means whatever I have on my Iphone). But it’s not rooted in a desire to project the fake image of a perfect life, because I certainly do not have a perfect life, nor do I know anyone who does.

The reason I rarely post about my bad days and kitchen disasters and avoid publicly complaining about unbearably humid days that have me sweating like a pig, is because I do not want to spread negative energy. There’s already so much negativity going around; the last thing we need is another person adding to it. More importantly, my social media personality, I hope, is a reflection of my life philosophy, which is that life is not perfect and will never be perfect, but we always have the choice of positive focus. It is a personal practice of mine to constantly look for things to appreciate in people, things, and places. And it’s not always easy, that’s why it continues to be a conscious moment-to-moment practice.

I post pictures of sunsets and flowers because I do love sunsets and flowers. I post articles on Facebook that I have read and that spoke to me, and might speak to other people as well. My Instagram is filled with pictures of kids because I love kids and they’re an endless inspiration for me.

What I post online is just a small portion of the jumbled potpourri that is life, but I want whatever I post to be true; not measured, not faked, not deliberately filtered to tell a false story. I want my online presence to speak more about who I am as a person and less about what I do; more about my philosophy, less about what I wore and how I looked.

There is a quote by Anais Nin that is dear to me: “What I cannot love, I overlook.” May that be my mantra, always, whether on social media or in real life.