I do find, however, that social media has a way of creeping up in my life and really preventing me from experiencing certain moments. For example, if I'm at a concert I try not to focus too much on getting tons of Snapchat videos to prove I was there. That takes away a lot of the experience for me. Or, if I'm on vacation I try to not put pressure on myself to, for instance, take a really cool picture in hopes of getting hundreds of likes on Instagram. What I often find myself thinking is, "What picture is the most artsy?" instead of "What can I post that will really portray me as a person?" Looking back on my life, I feel as though I have some of my best memories from being truly present in certain moments instead of trying to capture them all on my phone.
In terms of how I want to convey myself over the internet, I'm usually posting funny jokes or retweeting things that make me laugh so that maybe someone else will laugh too. I don't take myself very seriously which lessens that pressure of trying to look super cool to everyone else, but I also try to make sure what I post won't affect me negatively in the future.
Finally, my rule in general is to be funny and lighthearted online but deal with more serious things in person. It's hard to be effectively serious through a computer screen and what is said can be taken out of context faster than you can say "I didn't mean it like that".
- Emily Christen
:)