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Kenneth Mbugua's avatar

That was a soul nourishing read. Thank you

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Amelia Wright's avatar

I've had the same thoughts about Beth March and then Matthew Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables! Coming from a different direction, I honestly do enjoy social media. I like how I have used Instagram, posting like it's a scrapbook and sharing about things I genuinely enjoy and connecting with my friends more in person because of it. I love photography! And I've had a lot of good conversations and built deeper friendships because I've shared my interests and it opens doors for conversations sometimes. But also that can feel a little vulnerable--letting others see you without having a guarantee that it's reciprocated.

I also see how it often can lead to you living for others to see you, not for yourself. I go through phases where I don't want to post anything--but those are also the times I don't want anyone to see me and I want to hide in a safe little hole where no one perceives me. So I also post as an exercise against that, not letting the fear of people seeing me exist or disagreeing with something I say stop me from living or sharing.

I don't think social media at this point (honestly not even excluding Substack...it's how we use it that matters) is designed for people to use it thoughtfully or in a beneficial way but it doesn't mean you cannot. But it can be hard.

When it comes to everyone holding their phone to record meeting a new baby...I see the value of recording that moment. You'll never have that exact moment again and I want to record moments just for myself too. But accepting that one recording is good and setting it aside to capture the moment while you forget it's going can be enough.

I think there seems to be an opposite reaction to the people who record "too much" to not recording at all (not saying that's what you're saying just have been thinking about this!). I have friends who think it's overkill that I always take a photo when we get coffee or go on a walk through a forest. But even if I never post those photos, for me it is the act of recording that helps me pay attention. Looking through my camera's viewfinder and deciding what to focus on helps me to focus. I'm going to document these moments whether I post them or not, and sometimes I want to share and sometimes I don't. And honestly, I don't think not posting is "better" it's just a choice. The shared moments everyone sees are not more valuable either. They're all moments. We only get so many. I hope I'm not wasting any of them trying to impress people with either how responsible and mysterious I am not posting or how cool and busy I am sharing everything.

I just wrote a lot more than I meant to! But I really did enjoy this read :)

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