The Spatial Self of a Shy Socialite
I am a reluctant social media user. I am wary of the public eye, concerned about my professional appearance, and I don’t particularly like to regularly post to my accounts. I tend to only post on Instagram when I have ten carefully curated photos deemed appropriate for public comsumption. Despite being private, I am however, a very extroverted person who keeps in touch with friends both near and far. I use social media more as a way to check-in with my friends rather than a prescribed daily dose of me for my ever-loving fans.
By looking at my few Instagram posts, you can see that I tend to focus on two things in my photos: my friends and the locations our adventures take us to. My most recent post included friends and coworkers from the last year with a list of cities in the caption, challenging viewers to match the photo to the locations. I didn’t geotag any of the pictures, but each photo gave hints to the location. A pine forest and old wooden shed — perhaps rural New Hampshire? A bowling alley with the UIC logo — likely Chicago, IL. Six different cities and ten different photos allude to the self I was trying to portray: an adventurous, chic traveler surrounded by her friends.
What I find most interesting about the locations I tend to post are the fleeting aspects of the experience. I don’t necessarily want followers to recognize the location nor do I want them to think of the place as popular or trendy. Instead, I post these imaginative and highly specific versions of real places to create a sense of exclusivity. “You had to be there” because this place likely won’t be the same again. Whether it’s a spectacular lake sunset, friends caught in a mid-air jump, or an empty United Airlines flight during Covid, these tagged locations were a stationary moment in an ever moving timeline. In a sense, I am manufacturing this exclusive feeling through the locations I select and the people I include.
I like to craft a persona of myself online as an audacious person who perhaps doesn’t post much because she’s out on an exciting quest, too busy to concern herself with trivial things like selfies. It’s as if I’m only around long enough to share the highlight reel before running off to the next adventure. In reality, this life of mystery boils down to a few outings with my friends on the weekend after my to-do list is cleared. Maybe my fake spatial self and I should meet sometime… I bet she’d tell me to not work so much and go find someplace meaningful to have fun.
