There's so much on social media and they come in so many different forms nowadays that I can't even keep track! I've just added Instagram to my repertoire, sticking another finger into the pie.
The thing with social media is as much as you put yourself out there, you're heavily influenced, as much as you are an influencer. There's so much out there screaming for your attention - a gossip headline, a new project, a friend's wedding, a mundane complaint, a blockbuster movie, a topless celebrity - that sometimes it's a little overwhelming.
There's so much influence and so much noise, cajoling, berating, persuading you to read certain articles, take interest in certain things or live your life a certain way. And because we're often bombarded by so many messages it's so easy to get sucked in to all that's meaningless. With that there's also a certain urge to stalk and take interest in all things that are clearly none of your business. I do it so often that I can't help myself. It's that urge to check for updates, non-stop and never giving the brain a break.
And now I feel a bit burned out.
Have we cheapened communication? I hope not. I'd like to think that I'm more informed and that the exposure makes my thoughts less one-dimensional, that I know what's going on around me, and I'm more aware of others' point-of-view. But at the same time I stop and ask myself: Why am I doing this? What am I putting out there? What am I letting in, what am I allowing to shape my beliefs and priorities?
I realise that until I know the answers, or at least make the effort to look for them, I'll just be another person blindly posting content like anybody else and contented with the illusion that somebody cares, when I know I can do much better than that.
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