Guys. My blog hit 700 views this week. I want to thank everyone who shared my last post, That’s a Weird Thing to Say to Someone, but I also want y’all to know how strange this is for me. Through all of high school I let my mom read probably less than ten pieces I wrote, and the number is only that high because she begged constantly and I occasionally left them on the counter by accident. It is terrifying to be blogging publicly, but as the saying goes, “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.”
All this vulnerability, something I generally try to avoid, got me thinking about the changing dynamics of our presence online. It was not so long ago that we were all told to never put our real names or photos on the internet– and that went extraordinarily well and we are all totally anonymous online. JUST KIDDING. Instead, what has arisen is an era of micro-celebrity and total inauthenticity driven by a lack of real human connection. So let’s talk about the internet.
Am I pretty enough to be on Instagram? If you see me at 8 am, studying for an econ test with a pizza in my bed, probably not. This is something I have actually done (multiple times), but if you only follow me on Instagram, it’s probably pretty hard to imagine. Instagram Me (follow me @megan_ali) always wears makeup and goes out EVERY NIGHT and goes on exotic vacations and is not an outfit repeater. Some of those things are half-true, but they’re not even half of the truth. The temptation to be inauthentic on Instagram is strong, because everyone is doing it. No one shares their normal day-to-day lives; I wouldn’t get 200 likes on a picture of me writing this because I look like death. I’m not saying my life isn’t fun, because it’s actually SO much fun, but just know that while I do get to go to some really cool parties, I also cry every time I take a Calc 3 test. Every time. That’s something you would not learn from my Instagram, and here I am sharing it with you. Blogging is cool.
On this flip side, oversharing is really weird and we need to stop doing that, too. I don’t really know how to be anyone but myself, which is a topic for an entire other post, but I’m never going to lie in a post. On the flip side, telling everyone everything about your life is just as unnatural and harmful as pretending your life is ultra-glamorous. Like Our Heroes Beyoncé and Jay-Z, I will never talk about my relationships, past or present, publicly. It’s tacky and it forms a weird relationship between you and people you barely know. Just today, I was thinking, “How can I create quality content for my readers?” But no. This is not a real blog. As you can see, there are no “Pin it!” buttons or ready-made quote/picture combos. My header is a stock photo of a sunflower– clearly I am the queen of the internet. I am not a professional and this is not a blog; it’s just me talking to myself on the internet. I’m making a commitment to be myself to be authentic, and part of that is not sharing what goes against all boundaries of good taste. Shocker: we can still have boundaries on the internet. That’s real authenticity, and I’m down with that.
At this point, you’re probably like “Okayyyy, but I came here to read about Kim K and all you’ve done is shame my Insta-game” and that’s true, so here’s the wrap up. As millennials, we need to be conscientious that we do not live our lives in a talentless and vapid manner, becoming celebrities for no apparent reason (cough cough). We need to pursue accomplishments that are not linked to an all-time record number of likes. We need to stop being so weird about the internet and go outside and play. This isn’t really an original thought; I’m aware. So just to be a little more specific: stop doing the overshare-y Pinterest-y Stepford wife thing and for everyone’s sake STOP BLURRING YOUR PICTURES AND LEAVING YOUR EYES DEFINED. WE ALL KNOW YOU HAVE A NOSE AND YOU CAN’T HIDE THAT.
MEGAN OUT.
PS Shout out to my one reader in Aruba. You’re my most exotic and mysterious reader.
anything for a joke 