Using an Internet Persona to Be Brutally Honest
I am one of the billions of people around the world who have designed and “birthed” an internet persona to render the ability to write openly and honestly about my life experiences. Hiding behind a fake profile is the modern disguise, and there are stories I want to tell that won’t be easily accepted by the conservative Christian community I am a part of.
I ditched my last persona a few years ago, and I am feeling the itch once again. It’s fun, coming up with a character and a cool name, and matching social media channels. It doesn’t take long to set up a whole fake life.
I started keeping journals in grammar school, and I still have them - well-worn composition books that have all sorts of nonsense doodles on the cover and phrases that used to mean something to a younger me. I have really struggled to keep a regular journal habit since being married to my first husband, who would snoop and read about my nefarious deeds. So, I haven’t kept up a regular journaling schedule since….2005? And it makes me sad, but at the same time - it’s so foreign in modern life to pour your thoughts out on a platform that won’t be taking in likes and comments.
For the record: I hate that fact. But that’s the truth. It seems pointless to put all that down somewhere where no one is going to read it (until after I’m dead, hopefully.)
I know I am not alone in this. Furthermore, I kick myself for not sticking with the early online blogs I had - if only I had gotten on the Ritalin sooner! Ugh. I could be one of the majors still hanging out in the blogosphere, taking in invitations to podcasts to talk about how I’ve survived all this time. “It’s all about pivoting,” I would tell the host with a gracious smile, before I name dropped several of my sponsors.
So, who will I be this time? I do realize that you could interpret a bit of psychopathy in this post, but I assure you - I am well aware of it.
-WNN