I Know Who I Am

Claudia Fareri
Woman and Media
10 Feb 2017

2009 was the year I signed up for my Facebook account. At the time, I was only in the sixth grade but it was a result of falling into the hype that permeated around the new 'Myspace'. Going from playing on Club Penguin one year to a social networking website the next, I catapulted myself in the world of social media that I currently find myself in now. Ever since then, I've been someone who fully consumes media and distributes my own media.

Along with Facebook, I can be found on social media platforms such as Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and Snapchat. Unlike those who hide away from social media, I embrace it with open arms. Although I don't show everything about me online, I enjoy taking part in it and being able to express myself while connecting with others - just like how this author expresses in her piece.

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/love-social-media

For example, on Facebook, I use it to connect with friends I no longer see so often and family that live oceans away. While I don't post as many statuses as some would, I utilize their messaging app to continue my relationships with others.

With Instagram, I post quite often. I enjoy sharing pictures of my life to those that follow me as well as viewing the content of those I follow. My Instagram feed is something I curate and take seriously as I don't just post anything up; I carefully select and edit the most quality photos I have. To me, my Instagram feed is almost like a work of art in the way I construct it to represent myself.

Granted, social media doesn't represent all of me, just the parts I choose to put out. It shows a fraction of who I am because at the end of the day, there is only so much you can learn about somewhere through a screen. Regardless, the fraction that I do put out is content that is wholeheartedly me; it is a work of my own thoughts, ideas and emotions I've chosen to share. There is beauty in the ability to show who you are and speak your voice, which is why I'm very much for social media.

If you go to concert and you don't put a picture up on Instagram, did you really go to the concert? If you hit a new brunch spot but didn't post anything up on your Snapchat story, did you really go to brunch? This is the mentality people have nowadays when it comes to social media because a lot of the time, our experiences are captured on social media and are almost defined by it. This, in turn, ties into the idea of curating your work and picking and choosing what you show.

On a professional level, I've written news articles, created my own website, filmed by own videos and edited pictures for various media classes I've taken at Hunter. In the future, I hope to still be involved in the media world to be able to create content for an advertising company or work for a magazine.