Beyond the Selfie

The Selfie, Get Noticed!

If you are feeling lonely, maybe even invisible, are you hoping to be noticed? These days, many people take to social media to present themselves and their lives in ways for others to “notice.” Images of your life are usually much more than a Selfie! Outrageous pictures in interesting places or with interesting people DO NOT MAKE YOU INTERESTING!

As a side note, the most telling images in a self-portrait may not be pictures of you, but of what you most cherish. These can say a lot about who YOU really are. So pictures or representations of what you find attractive, desirable, interesting, and important can tell a lot about you. (This can be used to attract or affect other people to you or can be a tool to explore yourself.)

So what you “post” in the way of a photo or comment or “sharing” can, and will, say a lot about YOU. Your FB page or Instagram account or your Linkedin profile or whatever social media you use becomes YOU as a person to the world. Yes, you know this but are you vigilant with your outward appearance and what does this persona really say about YOU? I can be snarky and sarcastic. This shows up in my postings. Am I OK with this representation? I had better be prepared to take full responsibility for how I come across, especially to other snarky, sarcastic people. It is telling to realize how much my social media actually says about me, intended AND unintended.

If you attempt to show your good side and your virtues without consciously presenting the real YOU with your foibles, flaws, inadequacies, weaknesses, and imperfections, these will still show up in your selfies and other postings. Remember, you are more than your contrived image which you attempt to portray in real life, or even underneath for “image.” Your real life lurks and will find a way to come to the surface. Like the weeds who grow through the cracks in the pavement. Just the act of taking and then sharing a Selfie says a lot about you. Not the least is that you feel you require attention that may not be coming to you and that you have insecurities below the surface. Selfies are cute and can be fun. But, it is also important to examine your true motivation in posting them.

By the way (BTW,) after you post your selfie, do you become obsessed with the “response?” The “likes” and the “Shares?” Or, the “Comments” which it generates. Does this give you the feeling of self-worth or does it diminish your self-esteem? Does the number of “friends” or “views” make your day or does it frustrate you into even more outrageous behaviors in future postings? Are you living in your selfie and not really liking the existence you have in your “real” life? Consider all possibilities. That is what we are here to learn…

Technology has created a new lifestyle for people who live in our world of technology. (There are luddites who avoid change and new technologies, but we do not hear much from them because they do not use social media…) The “social fabric” of human interacting has changed and we, as a culture, have NOT figured out the etiquette for using social media in the most appropriate, not fad driven, ways. Many of us reading this blog are willing to jump into the “latest” technologies, at least to “try” them out. We do not fully realize the risks, or the full advantages, of participation in internet based social media and how this may effect our future lives (because this is still a vast unknown.) Tread with care AND take responsibility for the experimentation that you do. As stylish as it appears, like a tattoo, it can become a permanent scar you will have to live with ’cause it may never fully go away… (Once it is “Out There” in the “cloud” it can never be fully deleted or reset.)

Even in this personal ranting, as you read between my words, you can learn about ME. But, also remember that what you respond to in this ranting blog also says a great deal about YOU! Enjoy and be bold, but not unconscious, when you take, and then, post your next Selfie.

On another related note… Be careful about what you see and read AND BELIEVE on the internet. People and organizations post their opinion. These are often “Alternative facts” meaning these are not fact checked, honest or REAL! They are pure opinion written and shared as if these were truth. Be careful for every “Truth” the opposite is equally “TRUE!” Sorry, but facts and truths these days are only opinions… Sad, that the loudest liars have large groups of “followers” who do not check on the facts but accept negative opinions as THEIR truth.

Does this sound “snarky” or simply “True?” Take responsibility for what you say, what you read and believe, and how you act on these opinions!!!

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