And for the people who say the internet is making their kids into ‘special snowflakes’ with less common identities:
No. It’s giving them vocabulary. It’s giving them a way to understand their own experiences by helping them see they’re not alone. It’s helping them to know they’re not broken, or strange, or really all that different. It’s showing them they have a community they can reach out to for help and guidance. It’s giving them the words to describe their truth, but it’s not creating that truth. It was always there. But it was a big nebulous mass of confusion and bewilderment and pain before we had ways to connect with one another. It was one long line of “you’re a late bloomer” or “lots of people don’t like wearing dresses, you’re not that special!” or “you just haven’t met the right person yet.” It was a painful series of attempts at conformity in the absence of any other options.
The internet isn’t creating our realities. It’s helping us live them with a modicum of peace and understanding and self-acceptance. It’s not making us anything. It’s helping us be who we are.
