Online Identity: The Ideal Self

I believe that everyone has an "ideal self" that they dream of being at all times. We all want to portray ourselves as one who is successful, attractive, social, and liked by others. However, in our face-to-face interactions, others can see that not everything in our lives is always perfect. Therefore, what better way to portray this image than through posting your "perfect" life on social media?! By posting only positive, uplifting, funny posts, your real life struggles are disguised. I have to admit that I have been guilty of this to a degree. If someone I have never met before looked through my pictures on Instagram, I mostly portray myself as a confident, outgoing, social, genuinely happy person all the time. Little would they know, I am actually quite shy, only have about four true best friends, and have many days where I struggle with anxiety and insecurities. However, all of my positive posts are not lies or illusions. I just tend to refrain from displaying my imperfections too often. Although, if someone posts a picture of me that I don't like, I don't untag myself. I do have enough confidence in myself that I can blow it off, knowing that it is not detrimental to my well-being. But would I repost it on my own feed? No, definitely not. 

However, I don't think I hide these things because I am ashamed of them. I don't post about them because if I made a post every time I was struggling in life, my whole feed would be depressing, and I know people don't want to see that. Social media is an entertainment platform, not a counseling platform. On the other hand, if I experience something difficult that actually makes a difference in my life, I may post about it in a motivational or uplifting way. For example, I went to college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on a dance scholarship my freshman year. I decided to quit and come back home after a full year to start on a new path. On Instagram and Facebook, I posted a long post, admitting that I struggled in Pittsburgh with severe anxiety and had many doubts about what I wanted to do with my life. The picture was my dark silhouette looking out at the beautiful, colorful cityscape. I included in my caption, "I am excited to see what the future holds and have faith that God's plan is bigger than mine!" This added an inspiring and uplifting touch, which not only gains sympathy from others, but was truly how I felt. I wanted to post about this difficult time in my life so that my friends and family would understand my decision, and also because I knew other college freshman that follow me might be going through the same thing. I think it is okay to post the not-so-perfect moments of your life every now and then. I think it is important to share who you truly are on social media, rather than only displaying your ideal self. People like "real" people. No one cares for a "fake" friend!

On that note, I believe my Instagram and Facebook feed do accurately represent who I am... to an extent. My posts show that I love fashion, family, friends, yummy desserts, and fun places, which is all true. When I take a fun, happy picture, I want to share that with my followers. What my social media posts don't tell you, though, is what is going on behind the scenes of my life that may have caused me to get upset before I took that happy, smiling picture. Also, since the majority of my posts are positive, the few where I admit to my faults are overlooked in the big picture. Yes, I want my followers to see the idealized version of my life, but I also find value in being true to others, and most importantly, yourself. 

Here's to the last 7 hours of using Instagram...