Online Austin vs Real Austin. One in the same.

On my Facebook page, I attempt to be as authentic as possible. I try not to say things or post photos just to be like my peers. My primary concern is to be as true to myself as possible online, so I believe my page is indeed an accurate representation of who I am as a person and not just some idealized image of who I would like to be. I maintain this honesty on my “about me” page, my religious and political beliefs, and my sexual orientation. This may upset or frustrate people, but I nonetheless remain congruent with my beliefs. My posts, though seemingly controversial in nature, all represent issues that I am passionate about and am actively involved with. My photos display my real life activities and show who I am as a person and the sorts of things I do with my life. There is no smoke show. While some people do not appreciate that or approve of it, I embrace it.

I feel as though all people should remain transparent, open, and most of all: honest. Too frequently people just try to “fit in” using social networking. This begins to diminish the uniqueness found inherently in all people and creates this sense of forced conformity so that groups will readily accept them into their ranks. Perhaps if people did not feel the need to conform to social norms in everyday life, there would be more diversity, discussion, and controversy with civility on Facebook and other social networking sites.

My ever so "controversial" posts

After mulling through my Facebook posts, I have found an equal balance of positive and negative status updates. However, few are actually positive or negative, as the majority of these posts are neutral in my opinion. I never talk about how amazing or terrible my life is, but rather things I believe in. These posts do tend to have a controversial nature due to my beliefs. Friends and family constantly point out this controversy to me, showing how they view my postings as negative in nature. Many people still feel uncomfortable talking about gay marriage, rights for transgendered people, gender equality, atheism, and non-capitalistic viewpoints.

I try to present myself as open-minded as possible, as I do not want to appear belligerent online. This presentation must occur consciously, as many people can easily misconstrue meaning and tone over text. I do expect responses to my postings; however, I do not expect responses due to the controversial nature of the posts, but rather because the posts are thought provoking or require an answer due to the post being directly inquisitive. The responses I’m looking for when in search of a response are responses that are full-bodied, thoughtful, and most importantly: grammatically correct. After all, your page is represented partially by those who comment on your posts. In the instance that someone utterly makes a fool of himself or herself on my page, I will delete their comment, as I do not want to be represented by individuals who are grammatically careless. From this, it is evident that I use my profile to express myself in whichever ways I see fit in terms of status updates, photos, and the “about me” section. Some people strongly dislike the way I express myself online, but I simply remind them that my page is a reflection of myself, and if they dislike that, they can simply remove me. This way they are not offended and I do not have negative comments being posted on my page, as negativity is contagious, and this world does not need any more negative people.

My photos: The glorious and the unfortunate

The way people represent themselves online is most readily apparent by searching through their photos on Facebook. After a quick search through my photos, I found that I am quite content with the way I am represented with one minor exception. Most of my pictures look professional, active, and have that awkward part of my personality incorporated into them. These photos primarily are of student government, chemistry, other student organizations, or participating in on-campus activities; however, there are a few pictures of the time my friends dragged me kicking and screaming to a sorority party. These pictures are incredibly unfortunate and in no way, shape, or form represent my daily life. And quite frankly, I look ridiculous. I never wear anything that does not represent who I am, so I had to rely on my “frat star” roommate to let me borrow his clothes. Although I find these pictures unfortunate, they represent the choices I have made in the past, and therefore are a part of who I am today.

Regardless of how unfortunate those select photos may be, I still have not untagged myself in them. I believe that Facebook should represent who you are and the sorts of decisions you make in order to encompass who you truly are as a person. By leaving myself tagged in all of these photos, I am allowing my friends complete transparency into my life. I believe in honesty first and foremost, which I show by leaving my life open online for all of my friends to see. Many people untag themselves in photos as either an act of vanity or an act of embarrassment. People commonly dislike the way they appear in pictures, so they simply remove them. I personally use these photos as unique comedic opportunities to have a laugh at my own expense. If you are laughing at yourself, people can’t laugh at you, only with you. If people are embarrassed about their photos, it indicates that they are embarrassed of their actions. If you are embarrassed of your actions, you can easily adjust your life in a way that you are proud of yourself. I choose to take that route. I look at my photos and if I am embarrassed of it, I embrace that feeling and use it to make better choices in the future.

Introduction to blog and time management on Facebook

This blog is intended to track my usage of social networking through the examination and analysis of my Facebook page. I try to maintain an atmosphere of honesty and accuracy online and will uphold this atmosphere on my blog. I will explore how I use Facebook as well as the sort of person I present myself to be versus the person I actually am in my daily life.

With this being said, I am addicted to Facebook. In the debate of Facebook being either an addiction or a habit, I stand with a unique position that it is both. I frequently notice myself “accidently” ending up on Facebook while doing homework, studying, or writing grant applications for my research lab. Facebook, without me being consciously aware of it until today, dominates my life. My friend asked me a while back how often I am on Facebook per day, and I told her I spend an hour on the website every day. While this does not seem like an overabundant amount, considering that I am a student who needs eight hours of sleep in order to function, decides it is a wonderful idea to take seventeen hours every semester of college, and takes on various leadership positions across campus, I do not have time for the distraction that is Facebook. I justify my Facebook usage by claiming the typical “I would be out of the loop” because it is true. I went a year without Facebook and I knew nothing. I didn’t know birthdays, my friend’s achievements, or other important dates. However, when I recreated Facebook, I went overboard. If I want to know important information, I can log on every few days without missing out on incredibly important information. My consistently online status shows that I log on for more than just informational purposes. For my academic benefit, I need to find a way to limit my time spent wandering aimlessly on Facebook.

Online Austin vs Real Austin... One in the same.

On my Facebook page, I attempt to be as authentic as possible. I try not to say things or post photos just to be like my peers. I try to be as true to myself as possible online, so I believe my page is indeed an accurate representation of who I am as a person and not just some idealized image of who I would like to be. I maintain complete honesty on my “about me” page, my religious and political beliefs, and my sexual orientation. This may upset or frustrate people, but I believe in complete openness and honesty. My posts, though seemingly controversial in nature, all represent issues that I am passionate about and constantly involved with. My photos display my real life activities and show who I am as a person and the sorts of things I do with my life. There is no smoke show. My Facebook page shows me, who I am, and what I represent. While some people do not appreciate that or approve of it, I embrace it. I feel as though all people should remain transparent, open, and most of all: honest. Too frequently people just try to fit in using social networking. This begins to diminish the uniqueness found inherently in all people and creates this sense of forced conformity so that groups will readily accept them into their ranks. Perhaps if people did not feel the need to conform to social norms in everyday life, there would be more diversity, discussion, and controversy with civility on Facebook and other social networking sites.

My ever so controversial posts

After mulling through my Facebook posts, I have found an equal balance of positive and negative status updates. However, few are actually positive or negative, as the majority of these posts are neutral in my opinion. These posts do tend to have a controversial nature due to my beliefs. Friends and family constantly point out this controversy to me, showing how they view my postings as negative in nature. I do expect responses to my postings; however, I do not expect responses due to the controversial nature of the posts, but rather because the posts are thought provoking or require an answer due to the post being directly inquisitive. The responses I’m looking for when in search of a response are responses that are full-bodied, thoughtful, and most importantly: grammatically correct. After all, your page is represented partially by those who comment on your posts. In the instance that someone utterly makes a fool of themselves on my page, I will delete their comment, as I do not want to be represented by individuals who are grammatically careless. From this, it is evident that I use my profile to express myself in whichever ways I see fit in terms of status updates, photos, and the “about me” section. Some people strongly dislike the way I express myself online, but I simply remind them that my page is a reflection of myself, and if they dislike that, they can simply remove me. This way they are not offended and I do not have negative comments being posted on my page, as negativity is contagious, and this world does not need any more negative people.

My photos... The glorious and the unfortunate...

The way people represent themselves online is most readily apparent by searching through their photos on Facebook. After a quick search through my photos, I found that I am quite content with the way I am represent with one minor exception. Most of my pictures are of student government, chemistry, other student organizations, or participating in on-campus activities; however, there are a few pictures of the time my friends dragged me kicking and screaming to a sorority party. These pictures are incredibly unfortunate and in no way, shape, or form represent my daily life. And quite frankly, I look ridiculous. Regardless of how unfortunate those select photos may be, I still have not untagged myself in them. I believe that Facebook should represent who you are and the sorts of decisions you make in order to encompass who you truly are as a person. By leaving myself tagged in all of these photos, I am allowing my friends complete transparency into my life. I believe in honesty first and foremost, which I show by leaving my life open online for all of my friends to see. Many people untag themselves in photos as either an act of vanity or an act of embarrassment. People commonly dislike the way they appear in pictures, so they simply remove them. I personally use these photos as unique comedic opportunities to have a laugh at my own expense. If you are laughing too, people can’t laugh at you, only with you. If people are embarrassed about their photos, it indicates that they are embarrassed of their actions. If you are embarrassed of your actions, you can easily adjust your life in a way that you are proud of yourself. I choose to take that route. I look at my photos and if I am embarrassed of it, I embrace that feeling and use it to make better choices in the future.