What Does Your Couch Look Like?

Russ Morris via Compfight

Thanks to this post by Allison Vesterfelt, I shared this on Facebook:

What social media would look like if we all showed our proverbial “couches”? Would it be more interesting or would it make people cringe and turn away? Or, better yet, cringe and pick up the phone to invite that person out?

As someone who has her own “Zero Negativity Policy” on social media, people often tell me I seem so happy and my life so full.  When I spend time with people in person, I am glad I am able to express the “real” me, the me beyond the smiling facade of social media. The real me is a freelancer who rides the up and down income stream of life, celebrating every little job and wondering when her next one will come. So far, thank God, they keep coming. The real me has been mourning a relationship for ten months that she thinks about every day. The real me sees pictures of you and compares her life to yours.

The conundrum of social media is that it’s a place meant for selfies, and “look at me my life is so grand” or “my kid just did this” promotion — what would it look like if we all dropped the perception of what we broadcast our life to be and actually showed up as how our life truly was, no filter — in pictures or otherwise? Does authentically using social enhance “real” socializing or does it neuter it because we make presumptions about each other?

I have a beautiful couch. But right now there’s a recovering orchid, a few pairs of jeans, and a bucket of cleaning supplies in my Jacuzzi tub. It’s chaos, it drives me crazy, and I probably wouldn’t invite someone into my bedroom because of it. A little like my life … on all counts.

If you’ve read this far — thank you! I am not sad or PMSing, I am merely feeling curious and philosophical. I wonder, do you have a “couch” too?

As always, thanks for reading.

Ro