A letter from the future…
Dear little sammy,
You have finally got your first Iphone and oh are the times changing. You have created your first social media accounts and are excited because you’re the last of your friend group to make them. But little do you know that after making these accounts being insecure about everything will consume you.
As you begin becoming more and more competitive in the equestrian world you start comparing facebook posts and instagrams of your competitors. But little do you know that you are comparing your day to day with their highlight reels. You may think that they’re winning every division every weekend but in reality that is not the case. Don’t worry because as you get older you begin to see it the difference. But when it comes to life outside of the equestrian world you still struggle with the fact that what people post on instagram isn’t what their life is really like. Seeing influencers your age posting about buying Gucci bags and Range Rovers makes you wonder what you’re doing wrong in life. But by the time you get in university you begin to slowly get over the jealousy and insecurity that you feel when look at influencers.
As for social currency you are still just as obsessed with it now as you were when you first made social media accounts. Wondering the majority of your friends get more followers and likes is a hard concept to grasp because to begin to over analyze yourself. Just remember that you are not a quantity but a quality. When it comes to who you are as a person just remember the amount of followers,likes, and comments you get mean nothing.
Unfortunately for you cyberbully is something you will have to deal with. Through the gossip and personal attacks you learn to keep your circle small. Even as a student in university you will still look back to middle and high school and wonder why people suck. But in the long run you learned a lot from your experience. You learned to not trust everyone, you learned that people are selfish, most importantly you learned your self worth. These lessons helped you navigate your way to where you are today. You graduated high school top of the class, you got accepted to some of the most prestigious programs in the states as well as in Canada. Those people who turned to online harassment when they were going through it are still stuck in your hometown in the same vicious cycle. So remember karma really is a bitch.
Just remember social media can be so consuming to the point where you no longer pay attention to the world around you. Unplug and live life because life is short. If I could go back and not become so attached to my phone I would. This best times in your life will be when your disconnect from your phone and live in the moment. Most importantly post for yourself because at the end of the day it’s your life and no one elses
xoxo Sammy
