The time you tripped in the school hallway in front of the cutest senior football player ever.
The moment you tried to shoot the game-changing penalty kick and missed — and fell flat on your face.
The time you almost talked to the quiet red-head in your math class.
The moments we wish we could tuck away and shove deep under our beds where no one will ever, ever find them.
As much as I hate to admit it, even though the time I called my teacher “mom” wasn’t exactly me at my best — sorry, Mrs. Brush — that and other not-so-great moments are teaching me to accept my flaws, move on and just accept myself as I really am.
This is already difficult enough, but lately I’ve noticed this struggle extends to social media, too, perhaps why we never post any of those regrettable moments online.
No one wants to own up to his or her mistakes, let alone share them with the world. It’s easy to believe that if people only see our successes, they will like us more.
It can take forever to decide if something is Facebook or Twitter “worthy.” Sometimes it seems like it’s getting “likes” or the end of the world.
But is the person I create on my account really me, or a person I wish I could be?
Am I accepting myself for who I am or assuming the role of an actor, trying to prove to others that I am worthwhile?
I’m slowly coming to this remarkable conclusion: I will never be perfect — so why would I try to be so on social media?
This seems simple, but couldn’t believing it be so freeing?
Think about it: no worrying about how many likes you get, who’s reading your tweets or what you’ve done that’s remotely interesting enough to post.
I know no matter what my profile looks like, I’m still me.
That includes all my imperfections and mistakes, and I don’t want to be fake anywhere, including on social media.
Here’s my challenge for myself and for you:
Don’t post anything just to get likes.
Don’t seek others’ approval — especially online.
It doesn’t matter who likes your status or retweets that hilarious post — you have worth, even with mistakes and imperfections.
Social media should reflect flaws in daily life; perfection in reality and online deemed impossible
May 1, 2014
About the Contributor
Rachel Cannon, Staff Writer
Junior Rachel Cannon is excited to be a first-year newspaper staffer this year. Outside of newspaper, Rachel is involved in theater. She is a member of Fifth Wall and Rep Theater. This year, Rachel is a Tiger Mentor. She is also involved in her church’s youth group and enjoys horseback riding. Rachel hopes to grow as a writer this year.
