I’m a hater. Usually.
It’s really easy for me to hate on stuff. I’m naturally pretty negative and critical, so if there is something to make fun of or pick on, I’ll do it.
But as I’m growing older, I am recognizing that being a hater is just being proud — too proud to recognize what other people are doing as real and valid just because it’s not what I would do. It’s elitist. Hating on other people just points out my own insecurities. And I don’t want to be that person.
Also, the more I change and grow, the more I want to make room for others to be themselves. Does it really hurt me for someone to post about their baby every single day? Is it that bad to tap through 30 stories of a concert my friend went to? Can I really not take all of the influencer photo editing?
If I’m honest, I want to be free to use my social media as I see fit. And I need to extend grace to everyone else just trying to do the same.
While I will always stand behind social media etiquette, correct grammar, and healthy boundaries, social media is a medium for creative expression. And I believe everyone is creative. God, the ultimate Creator, created us to create. If we believe that, then we all have something unique and impactful to share with the world. We should all be able to express ourselves how we want on our personal accounts.
With that being said, I want my social media to reflect me. I want it to be honest, raw, aesthetically clean, Truthful, inspirational, sharable, and a little on the edgy side. I want to offer the world what God has specifically given me to share.
If you feel like God is asking you to start a finstagram, do it. If you want to make graphics on your iPad for no reason other than art, do it. If you have something to share in a post or blog, do it. It shouldn’t be about what other people will think is “cool” or not “cool.” It should be about what God has inspired us to create and share with the world. It can be that simple.
A word of caution for those of us who itch to share as soon as an idea comes: make sure the idea is fully developed in you and through you. What I mean by that is, not everything you are given from God is meant to be shared with the world. Some things are just for you. Also, some ideas can be shared too soon before you have really put in the work to develop it. Don’t prematurely share a profound theological thought before God has settled it fully in you through scripture reading, prayer, and meditation.
Your Instagram doesn’t have to be perfectly curated, your content doesn’t have to be profound, and you don’t have to have the little blue check. Let it be who you are. Nothing more and nothing less.
Social media doesn’t have to be about trying to be somebody. Let it be a creative outlet for what God has called you to do and be.
From a hater who probably made fun of something you are doing or did, I’m sorry. You do you, and I’ll do me. There is room for all of us out there.
