The "Reality" of Social Media...
Lately, I've been doing a lot of reflection, looking back on where I've been. What I've accomplished. Where I'm headed. It's wild to me how in the modern age of technology and social media our lives are sort of defined by the content we put out, the amount of people we are reaching, and whether or not our voices are serving as inspiration for others. These fabrications make us feel that we are supposed to be living our lives in a certain way in order to experience happiness.
Having come up in the age of the "Insta Golfer" I'm not naive to the ways of social media. I'm very aware of the effort that goes into building a brand and creating content. It's not easy. It's not effortless. I've always held a sort of resentment for having to sell myself to this system. When I was playing golf, trying to find sponsors, and trying to utilize every advantage I could, I learned quickly that I had no choice. Having people around helping me "Build a brand" I was constantly getting messages reminding me to post. Telling me what to post. What not to post. Telling me I'm not posting frequently enough. Telling me I'm not engaging enough. It's exhausting.
Now, in NO way am I hating on social media. A lot of my business has come through social media, and I've been given life-changing opportunities thanks to my following. When you use it for business and as a way to create community, I think social media can be wonderful. When I log in, I honestly don't interact much because I try not to scroll. I'm human though, days where I feel low or lost, these are the days that social media can be so unhealthy. Getting wrapped up in other people’s highlight reels. Comparing yourself to something that the majority of the time is completely fabricated. I try to maintain a sense of honesty in my online presence. I try to stay true to who I am. I go through phases where the last thing I want to do is post or engage. Then other times I feel inspired and want to share my thoughts and adventures.
I have friends who have way more of a following than I do. It's a job and they are creatively forming content, it's an effort I honestly don't care to make. What makes me feel sad, is when I meet new people and they immediately categorize me as a girl who is fake and desperate for attention. It's really not fair. Honestly, sometimes I feel like "that girl" and it makes people categorizing me in the group, that much worse. I go through weeks where I would love to delete everything and go off the grid, but the reality is a lot of my work opportunities come through social media, so at times I feel trapped by it. I try to use my platform to share my thoughts and feeling. Whether it resonates or not, oh well. I feel fulfilled when I can feel like I'm being honest and truthful to myself.
Having my own self-awareness of the workings of social media and my relationship to it, I know a lot of the people I follow to experience the same thoughts and feelings as I do. Sometimes I get caught up looking at people's pages and seeing how amazing their feeds are and think wow they really have their shit together, and I'm aware that I may give off the same impression. Which is where you have to remind yourself, it's a highlight reel. I feel just as lost. I have days where I feel like my shit is nowhere close to being together, but a lot of it stems from comparing myself to others. It's such an unhealthy cycle, that sometimes you have to check back into reality and focus of YOU. All the things you accomplished. Even if it doesn't seem so glamorous. Chances are those photos you see, the process behind taking it was far from glamorous. trust me.
The past few weeks I have felt such a lack of inspiration and trying to evaluate how social media has played a part in that and re-evaluating my relationship to these different platforms. In honor of sharing my truth and my thoughts, I am sharing these thoughts with you, because I know this problem is not just mine. It's an epidemic in our society and one that you need to be reminded of that affects, everyone. Whether you share frequently or not, remember to be your own biggest fan. Remember that your experiences are your own. No one else's. Be grateful of where you've been, and be proud of your own accomplishments. xx
