Audit Your Online Presence

About two years ago, I became way less indulged in my social media accounts than I am today.  For whatever reason, something just clicked in my brain and I decided that I didn't want to spend my life living through a little 5"x8" inch phone or even a laptop screen for that matter, real world experiences were what mattered to me.

In my personal life, I have no problem keeping this mindset.  I'll check my social accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat once or twice a day.  I'll check my Twitter feed once every 3 days. And, to be honest, I check my LinkedIn account way too often for the average person, but when it comes to my career I'm passionate and focused.  I think LinkedIn is a great way for me to establish and maintain prime connections while staying up to date on all things relevant in the event and hospitality world.  LinkedIn has also been key in landing my last two job positions as well as my summer internship for this year.  I <3 LinkedIn! 

I feel that even on my social accounts that aren't LinkedIn, I still put off a good image as if it were my LinkedIn page.  I try to think about my audience and outreach each time I post, just because I'm openly following my relatives of all ages, some of my co-workers & bosses, and also my SO.  I want them all to view me the way I view myself, not in a way some people present themselves when they post unruly or inappropriate content on social media.  In all fairness, my accounts have all lacked recent posts by me (excluding LinkedIn) since 2019.  I didn't even intentionally do it but as time went on and the impact of Coronavirus grew more severe cancelling tons of trips I had planned, I just felt like I had no worthy updates.  In fact, I broke my Instagram hiatus recently on Father's Day since I couldn't celebrate with my dad in person. I just feel like, the people who are present in my life are updated on the daily, when I see them.  I don't need to share my personal life details on social media for mere acquaintances to see, I prefer my privacy. 

I do believe that by using Instagram and other social accounts too often, people can increase their chance for depression and other mental illness.  Oftentime, we get jealous when we use social media.  "Wow, that person took such a cool picture!" "They're in such an exotic place!" "I'm so jealous of their outfit." All of these comments and more can lead to people trying too hard to make their own life interesting.  "I want to be/look/travel/act like them" That's an unhealthy mindset to have and one I believe is fueled by the overextended use of social media.