What Do You Think You Know About Me?

Good morning!

We all see each other online in some way these days. Whether you are on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Linkedin, Pinterest, Google,  or any of the many new social media platforms that spring up on a seemingly daily basis, we are all more visible on the Internet from just several years ago.

In my opinion,  gone are the days of complete privacy. Even if you are not a social media user, someone you know and love is, and chances are they have posted your name,  picture and more on their sites when posting group photos, event photos or simply saying Happy Birthday to you.

But just because we are visible online does not mean we are what you see or think you see.  For example,  our young generation like to post song lyrics they like and I've made the mistake of thinking they were posting a thought of their own. I went as far as to ask my nephew if he was alright after one such post and he had a good laugh and said,  it's just lyrics from a song. Lesson learned.

Many people, myself included,  post quotes or scripture to encourage ourselves and others, but sometimes the posts do not match the personality. This is not false "posting" but simply an example that what you see and read online are either just one part of a person's personality or maybe it's who they are trying to become.

We are all taught from a young age to not judge a book by its cover. That same rule should apply to someone's Instagram page or Facebook likes and dislikes. Yes we may get a general sense of who the person is but as we all know there is much more to a person than meets the eye. Plus over time we all grow and change and our life experiences may alter our perceptions and perspectives.

So if someone posts a gorgeous picture of what looks like a fantastic vacation,  remember we are not privy to all that may have gone wrong on their trip. The same goes for posting "selfies", most of us do not look exactly like our photos on a daily basis.

What you think you know about me can only be affirmed by actually knowing me.  This is probably why some celebrities experience identity issues. The public view them one way but they may be exactly the opposite of how they are viewed and so begins the maintaining of their public persona. That has to be extremely exhausting not being able to be yourself.

I try and stay true to myself on all online platforms but what you see is only a fraction of my likes, dislikes, concerns, hopes, experiences and thoughts. I am much more than my "posts", definitely much more than my "selfies" and hopefully far more interesting in person.

Me,
Val