#virtuallyme

Source: http://www.fox.co.uk/i-robot

Sometimes, it’s hard to distinguish what is real and what is not. Especially when you’re trying to do that with yourself. Is it really you or is it someone you’re trying to be? Is it a mixture of both? Your own portrayal of yourself in an online setting may not be as authentic as you think it would be.

I am currently using Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat daily. It is a part of my life where I am constantly online, looking at pictures, reading articles, watching cooking tutorials, and viewing another person's life. That's the key statement in this beginning paragraph, viewing another person's life. It's like social media has given me a special telescope so that I may glimpse into another person's life at my bidding. When you look at it in a different perspective, other people are able to get a glimpse of my life through my use of social media as well. It goes both ways and I admit, I am guilty of updating my friends on what is going on in my life through one of the three above outlets. I try to present myself as a creative, food-loving, comedic person. In a way, I portray that (or at least I try to) outside of the online world. I try to be as real as I possibly can online because, in a way, I'm creating my own online autobiography for the world to see!

In Smith and Watson’s reading, “Virtually Me: A Toolbox of Online Preservation” they describe the use of "I" as a version of the author's self, it is a version of yourself that you're willing to put out there. However, it is not completely authentic. Contexts can change and things you write about yourself can change. All the things that make up you when you put it into writing turns out different. If you're thinking about a social media you use (like Facebook) and you're writing a status update, it's not as simple as it being you writing a status for yourself. Your social media profile is still you, as a character analyzer, they would say that the person you portray online might not be the real you. I could be anyone I want to be online but using specific social media outlets such as Facebook where the people who can view my profile have met me at least once in their lives know that I can't just portray anyone. I am whoever I portrayed myself to be when I met them in reality, what I do online should reflect that.