Who am I Compared to my Social Medias? Blog #1

This is not the first time I have had to evaluate who I am compared to my social media however, this time I think my answer is different. I used to act like I was authentically me on every social media platform, but I know now that that is not true. I find myself only showing certain aspects of myself on certain platforms to cater to the audience that I want. So, to start off, I am me on each of my social media platforms however, I am not me to the full extent on any of them. I am currently a frequent user of Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Tik Tok, VSCO, and LinkedIn. I believe that my following on my personal Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are all very similar and I tend to share similar content on each. Although the content I share on each account is similar, the way I interact with others on all of my platforms is incredibly different. 

To begin with my most used social media, Instagram. On Instagram I have my personal account and a health and fitness account. My personal account is the typical highlight reel of my life. It holds my happy memories, favorite places I have traveled, and all the witty captions. I personally believe that this account does authentically show me, although I don’t show the rougher moments of my life, I still believe it’s me. I would say it is like my personal scrapbook. After living in Europe where “likes” are no longer shown I find myself posting much more often and typically don’t care about the time of day I am posting. My personal Instagram does have a matching “theme” with cohesive edits and this is because I love editing pictures and having fun making my profile look put together. On this account I comment on so many people’s pictures. I like to post stories, spend time making them look cool, and replying to peoples. Now, I have found myself following meme accounts and way more influencers, so I can stay entertained on this account for way too long. My fitness account is much different. I show workouts, get very vulnerable about growth, share recipes, and explain my personal health and fitness journey. I follow only those who inspire me and have a goal to inspire others. In all honesty, this account is the most authentically me one I have because of how vulnerable and open I am. I have noticed that people that have success in the fitness Instagram world are open and honest about their process so, I have tried to do this as well. On this account, I am an ambassador for three healthy companies and have branded posts which is much different than any of my other social media accounts. On my fitness account, I feel like I can be more open because the people that follow me there want to see that part of my life unlike on my personal account. 

 My other most used social media is most likely Twitter but my behavior on twitter is much different than Instagram. On twitter I used to be a “lurker” and would just enjoy all the funny tweets on my timeline. I usually have a few friends I send them too but I rarely retweeted or tweeted my own content. This semester we have to tweet daily with #cnusocialmedia and this assignment has really changed my twitter habits. Not only do I actually participate on Twitter, I have found myself following more accounts that share helpful and newsworthy information. Since I started college twitter has been the social media I go to for news but now I find this to be even more true. Twitter probably is the least “me” social media I have because I don’t really share anything about my personal life. I think that if a stranger found my twitter account they would have little to no idea of who I am as a person but, if they found my Instagram or Facebook they would have a general understanding. Twitter is typically the app I use for comedic relief and to pass time. 

            Snapchat and Facebook are the next two social medias that I find myself on. I rarely consider snapchat a social media because I typically only use it to talk to people. I almost never watch stories unless they are posted by people I am talking to and I don’t subscribe to anyone on it either. On Facebook, my whole timeline is just photo album updates for my family and friends across the country to see. However, I use Facebook very differently than a lot of people my age does. I am a member of a lot of Facebook groups that relate to my passions. I in a few for workout programs where we post progress, goals, struggles, and ask for advice as well as multiple that are all about travel. These groups have helped me find my passions and helped me be me online. I realized a few years ago that I don’t know a ton of people like me here in Virginia, but these groups have led me to likeminded people that I can talk to about what we love. So, on Facebook I am very active just not on my timeline like many people are. I now use Facebook to find out about events on the weekends, all sorority information, to see what my friends and family are up to, and to watch fun videos. 

            On social media, I am very active, but it is very different on each platform. I that my reasoning for liking Instagram the most is because I am a visual person. I like seeing images and videos, editing them, and creating my own content. On twitter, I struggle to think of tweets because I do not often think in the way that most people that have “good tweets” do. I have noticed that even when I do tweet, there is usually a photo attached, and that is the same for Facebook. I believe it is easiest to explain what’s happening in my life through photos which is why I find myself sharing them the most. On social media, I like to show who I am but, I like to show the part of me that I think that audience wants to see. I don’t mind sharing the good and the bad however, I like to look at my social media to see the happy memories, just like a scrapbook which is why all of my accounts are that “highlight reel” people always speak of.