Confidence is your Only Virtue
A letter to my younger self. As you grow up and the times change, social media will become a prominent theme throughout your life that you will likely fall into the traps of. Don’t be afraid, but be cautious. Social media is like the online world of the high school drama you may have thought you were able to escape after you complete your four years, but it is also an avenue of success, happiness and inspiration. Like many, you will probably start out with Facebook; adding each and every friend that you can think of to grow the number count anyone can see when they click on your page. Following that, you’ll likely dive into Twitter writing about anything and everything you can think of to grow your follower base and make connections to your two platforms. Instagram will be another platform that you will likely get into and stick with until the end of time, posting selfie #23 after taking around 87 different angles, only to delete the photo 6 hours later because you were embarrassed by the lack of likes you received.
But that’s just the thing about social media, what people tend to care about are the pointless and simpleminded number counts on status’s, photos, friend pages, and so on. Its all about the numbers. I know this because I have fallen into the traps of social media numerous times before I had realized. Everyone wants to be liked and with how prominent social media can be, if your well liked online then your well liked offline too. It’s a game that can be deceiving. Social media is an avenue for expression where individuals can write and express themselves at any point as freely as they wish but are scared to by the simplicity of hundreds to thousands of people having an opinion, expressing dislike, or not approving of what you say or do.
Think of it this way. When a rumor is started at school, work, or any community venue and gets around from person to person, you may often feel trapped. This same notion goes for social media. It has the power to overtake your cognitive function and persuade many into believing otherwise about one’s self. You felt pretty posting that selfie, but only 140 out of your 600 friends thought so too. The tweet of the hilarious joke you were dying of laughter about only got 4 retweets and 10 likes. Im not saying don’t use social media, but realize everyone is the same boat.
When we are born, we are born a blank slate with no pre-conceived notions of right or wrong, what to say, do, act, or wear. We develop these over time much like our online identity except you have the power to make it how you wish. Understanding that everyone, much like you, all want to be accepted is what you need to grasp the minute you start your online journey.
The purpose of feeling accepted and well liked can weigh heavy on you growing up, but what matters is the close knit group of people you surround yourself with. Are all those 600 friends your closest and dearest friends? Probably not. Social media will bring about virtual friends, ones you follow because you just know of them. You get a glimpse into everyone’s lives to make piece with yourself that you’re on the right track or for inspiration to where you want to be next.
As scary as it may seem, it is inevitable. To use social media, you must be confident within your self. That confidence will radiate across platforms and stay true to who you are as a person. People crave genuinity, you don’t want to be that “fake” person online who isn’t what they are in person. Life isn’t about hiding behind a screen, its about expressing who you are and not caring what other people think because they are not you.
In return, what you get from all the backlash and potential setbacks social media can bring may in fact be everything you ever needed. There may be details about growing up in this era from social media that mum and dad could not teach you. You can voice your opinion through a larger platform for reason within society. It will drive creativity and give you the ability to adapt to different cultures and expressions needed in the real world without the fleeting price of a plane ticket.
Point being, if I knew that social media had the ability to destroy and rebuild my confidence, I believe my path would have been completely different. Turning a blind eye to the negativity, feeling good within oneself and believing in the worth social media can bring will ultimately guide you on a path of being safe within social media. Be who you are and don’t be afraid of what others will say.
