Friday, September 20, 2013

Am I living vicariously through myself?!

Newsflash! I love updating my status. On a good day if I am really on one, I might update ten to fifteen times. My close friends know about the crazy days - like before Lent. That happens to be my friend Karen's favorite day of updating - I think I updated every 15 minutes for 24 hours. The only times I don't update is when I am really sad. Updating for me is usually hilarity or inspirational. If I don't update for a week, definitely check in to see if I am still alive.

I don't necessarily do it for the attention but I won't lie and say I don't love the attention I get from it. It seems like I have a following and the feedback I get from these updates it that, generally, people really like reading them. I certainly enjoy getting a good one from someone in my feed.

There are three kinds of status updaters. I consider myself a hybrid of all three. The first kind is generally really annoying. It's the person that in a sense is living vicariously through their own updates. They update their day from start to finish. Every aspect is documented and generally this person is excessively happy.

"Good morning all! Have an amazing day!!"
"I can't wait for dinner tonight with my amazing friends"
"I am having an amazing time at dinner right now with my amazing friends"
"Dinner with my amazing friends was amazing"
"I am tired from SUCH an amazing day. Good night everyone!"

...and so on. Gag worthy at times.

Then there is the depressed updater. This is the one I find most annoying.

"I didn't get enough foam on my cappuccino at Starbucks today. FML"
"UGH! Why are all the people I work with so lame?"
"I am SO bored"
"I hate being single"

...and so on.

Then there is the generic updater. They update song lyrics or just do updates that make no sense all. (I am guilty of this, remember I said I was a hybrid of all three!)

In college, I used to think updating was lame. In fact my friend Vicky had to plea and beg for me to get on Facebook and when I did, I updated once a month if at all. I rarely checked Facebook. Communication changes with the advent of any new technology and with all my friends on Facebook, and it being such a fantastic platform to network and stay in touch, it was hard not to get swept up in it.

Without knowing it, I had turned into the person that updates about every restaurant I ate at, every time I grabbed coffee with girlfriends, everything I bought, everywhere I went, every experience at work, every time I got my hair done...EVERYTHING.

Which brings me to my main thought...am I living vicariously through myself?! Is my life not full enough that I need to let the rest of the world know about my every move and in turn get feedback on it?

Already today I would have updated about how freaked out I am when people reuse their fake eyelashes 15 times and I can see the glue all over their lash line (have the lashes been on there for the last 5 days or are they seriously reusing it that many times?! Gross!), about how much I am loving the items I got in September's BirchBox, and how much I still incredibly, madly, deeply miss Audry...every.single.day.

Don't get me wrong - I like updates and enjoy other peoples. I feel there is a happy medium and I intend to find it. 
XO, 
Rachel

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