You Are More than Your Internet Image

When I was in middle school I read a very interesting book called Extras by Scott Westerfeld. It was a spin-off of the Uglies series (basically Hunger Games before Hunger Games existed). It was a good book, but the real reason it stuck with me was the concept.

In Extras, the world had become obsessed with technology and reputation. Citizens each had feeds where they shared photos and videos in order to gain attention and be ranked higher in the city's popularity ranks. Of course this meant people (especially teens and young adults) were obsessed with how many people were following their feeds and spent their time constantly trying to find interesting content to get more attention.

Sound familiar..?

If you're thinking Scott Westerfeld basically predicted the rise of social media, I'd say you're right. Sure, the book is science fiction and obviously the city's obsession with fame was exaggerated, but it's not too far fetched from what we're seeing today. I mean, these days businesses literally take off because they have nice Instagram feeds. And people actually make money just from having a high number of followers.

We've created this "attainable" form of fame that is so tempting to pursue. And on some level I think it's kind of neat. I appreciate that people can gain recognition and even make a living because of their creativity and eye for design. But on the other hand, I believe it's created a new kind of pressure that insists we live our lives focused on our internet reputations.

And I don't have a solution for that. I don't know a way to undo this obsession with internet fame. But I do believe it's important that we remember this in the midst of it: Our public internet reputations are not who we truly are. We're tempted sometimes to believe that they are, or that in some way they should be. But social media is just one of the many ways our personality is revealed. And I promise you, it'll never be the most significant.

You are what you daydream during your commute to work. You are your pet peeves, and your favorite guilty-pleasure foods. You are the boring version of you who curls up on the couch watching reruns of Law & Order. You're the adventurous spirit who's got a hundred-item long bucket list. You're the you that you are in private, and the you that you are with your closest family and friends.

That is who you truly are, and that is who you should really be focused on growing. It's fine to want to make a business out of Instagram or gain a large following on your fashion blog. But don't forget to compartmentalize that stuff - remember that it is only a facet of who you are, only a small representation of your creativity and skills. It does not define you. Your follower count, your popularity, your reputation - none of those things will ever speak loudest about your worth and uniqueness.

So promise me you won't worry too much about them. And I'll make that promise too :)

#2016 #life