Self-conscious on the Internet
The challenges and rewards of sharing our lives in the digital age
Lately I’ve been self-conscious about my presence on the Internet. I question everything I post, fret about the opinions of others, and wonder if I’m too old1 to put myself online. I believe the latter is due to the fact that many of my friends have shifted offline and so sometimes I feel like a bit of a lone wolf here.
I read a thread online (was it Reddit? Threads? I can’t quite remember) that noticed the same—most of their millennial friends were no longer posting online. Their theory was that it was because most of us millennials are depressed. The comments contradicted this point, though, with most stating that they’re either too busy enjoying life to post online, or they don’t care to receive the online validation they once enjoyed.2
In other words, their friends are IRL (or “in real life,” as we’d say in real life and not typed online).
I’ve thought about this thread a lot in the past few days.
Am I depressed or having too much fun?
Are my friends all online or in real life?
Am I seeking attention or being genuine?
Truthfully, it’s probably a bit of all of the above, depending on the moment.