A couple days ago (probably a week and a half) I posted this statement on Twitter: “You think you get someone from your interactions with them. But then you see their #SocialMedia posts. :-/. I then carried the discussion over to Facebook.
I found that through social media I have learnt things about individuals that seem to be private information. Much of what I learn by simply scrolling down my Facebook newsfeed makes me feel as though I am being made privy to some very personal secretes. I’ve learnt about some people losing their jobs, I’ve seen wedding photos (even by those who didn’t even see it fit to invite me to their “big day”…hmph!), I’ve learnt about death in families, promotions at work, new business ventures, progress at school and even confirmation of some persons sexual preferences.
Yeah… some people just bare it all in a Facebook status, an Instagram post or, a one-hundred-and-forty character Tweet!
Of course it led me to question what I think I know about those people that I interact with on a daily basis. Is everyone being completely honest with me? Are people holding out? Am I drawing the wrong conclusions? Am I simply clueless?Is it me? or is it them? My big question really is, do we adopt different personas in our “online” and “offline” lives?
I think the answer to that is YES; maybe not for everyone, but surely for many.
While I generally express the same opinions online as I do if you were to have a conversation with me, I must admit that, in person, I do come across as very reserved. If you follow me on Facebook however, you may have quite a different opinion.
When I posed this question to Facebook, one friend said “….I find it hard to really express what’s inside my head in “real life,” except in cases where I’m surrounded by people who I can be myself around. Online, nobody’s looking you in the eye and you can’t read their expressions….”. I think we can all associate with this sentiment; the safety of not being able to read expressions online. So while we may not be pretending in either life, we certainly do things a bit differently.
The thing about this is, sometimes I create these super awkward situations in my head after I read a Facebook status that shocks me or totally shatters whatever kind of image I created about an individual (maybe I’m just too much of an awkward person :-s). You know that statement people like to make? “Don’t believe everything you read on social media”…. I can’t help but wonder how it would apply here.
All in all, I agree with my Facebook friend who answered my question. It is easier to be oneself online and feel like there is greater freedom for expression. Just look at the whole Blog movement! If we don’t like how people respond to our thoughts and opinions, we can simply delete them. If only the same were true for persons in real life!
Just something to think about, I would love to hear your views on this topic :-).
As Told By Bridget 