Welcome all!
I know I said I would post every week but I was busy then CHRISTMAS! I hope everyone’s Christmas day was wonderful! I’m not going to give a huge introduction to this, so here’s Chapter 2. I’m also going to go ahead and warn you, this post is not as funny as the last. Still important though. Enjoy and have a great day!
Chapter 2: Social Media–It Lies.
Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Google+. Just kidding, ain’t nobody got time for Google+. Also, follow me on Twitter, @morganchi! Anyway, we all use it. And that’s okay, until we place our worth in said social media. Always updating your profile picture so the guy you like will notice. No worries girlfriend I do the same thing. Or did. I once had sentences here that read “I have two personalities: one on Facebook and one on Twitter. The Twitter personality is much, much, more awkward.” But now, that’s not the case. Do I use Twitter more? Maybe. Do I not update much on Facebook? Yes. (Whatever I update Facebook all the time.) Anyway, my personalities should be the same on both because it’s me. Quick update on my life, when I first wrote this chapter I totally used my social media sites to try and gain attention from whatever guy I liked at the time. Since then though, I’ve realized just how much you shouldn’t place a lot of value in what guys do or say on these sites. If a guy cares for you and likes you, he will pursue you not on Facebook or Twitter, but in real life like a man.
Anywho, let’s just move on to the details of my awkward life. Allow me to indulge you. If you noticed the title, (allows 5 seconds to look back at the title) then you’re probably thinking, “How does social media lie?” (Unless you didn’t look at the title for the 5 seconds or any time at all, then you’re like, “Why would I be thinking that?”). Well, it isn’t exactly the social media that lies, but the people with the social media profiles. And it isn’t that they lie, they just trick you, dare I maybe even say seduce you.
Example A. I liked a guy one summer, before I was charming and clever on Twitter. And this guy didn’t seem to care that I wasn’t hilarious. I mean seriously, every tweet I had he retweeted or favorited it. I could’ve tweeted, “Want to hear a chemistry joke? NO” and he would’ve favorited it, or “I like to watch movies” and he would retweet it. It didn’t matter how dumb or how smart or how lame or how funny it was he would show me attention. Anyway, this guy, we’ll call him Eric. Well, Eric was retweeting and favoriting for daysss. (S/O to P Swack for first introducing me to the phrase “for daysss”). Literally though, days. Multiple days. It kind of got to the point where I was spoiled and instantly expected whatever I tweeted to be favorite or retweeted by him. So, the day comes when I see him in person. I think ‘This is the day; he’s going to come up to me and be like “Morgan you are so awesome, let’s date!”…or not. No mention of Twitter, cleverness, or anything. To say I was highly disappointed was an understatement. And then it kinda hit me, why do I care so much? So what if he retweeted me or favorited me? Do I not see myself as worthy of that? Because I should.
Example B. Facebook. You never realize how much a “like” means until someone “likes” your stuff. You post that picture, that status, that video, and you’re on the edge of your seat, waiting for a person to like it. And of course you have to see what guys liked what and then get overly excited when that crush of yours comments something witty. For me, it was a crush named Steven. Steven was a trickster, yes he was. Steven was one of those guys who never liked my stuff. And that’s how he tricked me. He liked comments that other people posted on my stuff, leading me to believe that he may secretly harbor a crush on me. (In what universe does liking a comment that SOMEONE ELSE POSTS equal harboring a crush? News flash to myself, it doesn’t.) One time a comment said, “You’re so weird,” and he liked it. I mean, I take being called weird a compliment but that’s just me. Here’s a better one, he liked a comment, he LIKED a comment, that said, “Oh, Morgan, how I love you.” WHO DOES THAT? Who likes a comment that mentions love if you don’t love that person? Let me tell you, Steven repeatedly broke my heart (being somewhat dramatic), but we’ll talk more about him later.
What I’m saying here is, I can’t let a like or a retweet/favorite get to me. Because in the end, I am worth more than what a guy thinks. Worthy in the sight of the one guy who really matters (yeah, I’m a fan of talking about Jesus.)
So, what about when it’s more than a like, say chatting? First off, chatting to me is creepy. I never get on Facebook chat, it just leads to awkward conversations like:
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Nothing much, you?”
“Eh, not much.”
Awkward end of conversation till the other person goes offline. But sometimes it means more than that–or you think it does–when it’s messaging. (Duh, duh, duhhh).
A guy I liked messaged me on Facebook once. And when I say messaged me on Facebook I mean I messaged him. I wasn’t trying to turn it into a deep, serious conversation, but it turned into that. I mean, this guy and I messaged each other every day, multiple times a day. It got to the point where as soon as I was on break at work I’d get on Facebook, as soon as I got home, as soon as I woke up. Let me tell you, that much computer use is not good for your life. And here comes the age old question, did it amount to anything? You’re correct, no, no it didn’t.
Oh! I just realized I didn’t mention Skype or other video-chatting but I really don’t have any specific stories, so sorry to disappoint haha. I won’t leave you without a story though, and I’ll discuss this more later but what really gets you down is overanalyzing things. Twitter, which let’s be real it’s where I spend most of my online time, can cause you problems. It seems like I’ll tweet a guy, he won’t reply, and I spend the next 567,291 days thinking he hates me when really he just didn’t see it. All that stress and annoyance for no reason. And why in the world do I have all that stress and annoyance? Who cares if he responds? Am I really going to let him not replying ruin my day or make me question how awesome I am? Because I shouldn’t.
What I know for sure though, is that you can’t be tricked by social media. And it’s okay to take a break sometimes. Actually, you need to take a break. A day, maybe two, or even a week to just get away from the drama of social media. Especially when you’ve been completely sucked into it’s trap of waiting for others to approve of you. Because their approval isn’t what matters. Now, I’m not saying go all crazy and act like a ridiculous person because it doesn’t matter what other people think, but I am saying that you can’t base your worth on what others think of you. If you’re a Christian, you have to find your identity in Christ. He is where you place your worth. Don’t you realize that in dying on the cross for you he showed just how much he loves you? Why wait for the like on Facebook when you can be confident in who you are in Christ, knowing that long before the Facebook like, you were dearly loved? And if you aren’t a Christian, guess what? Jesus loves you just as much as the Christian. He wants you to come to know him and to love him. The freedom we have in being confident in our identity is a gift from Christ that you need to believe that you have. Because you do.
Later,
Morgan
awkwardonward 