“Suzy uploads 256 pictures to her album, ‘Spring Break in Cabo!’”
“Arturo updates his Facebook status to: ‘Eating my abuelita’s bombass tamales! These tamales are giving me life! #blessed #thesetamalesareeverything’”
Social media has allowed for the mundane to be framed as eventful.
Over the years, my desire to not share details about my life increases and the ease in which technology allows us to divulge aspects of our lives scares me. I really wish I could delete my digital print. I had a Facebook for 9 years until I decided to “permanently” get rid of it. I made a request for Facebook to delete my account so that I am no longer able to log in, my online friends can no longer see my profile, and if I want to participate on Facebook, I would have to establish a new account. Granted, my data has been archived by Facebook so my account and information will still exist in one form or another but I am no longer feeding them new information. At least not in the same way --after all, I still have an Instagram account. While I do feel out of the loop sometimes, I feel better not having a Facebook account and it has helped me lessen my participation in social media.
Who am I? I am a Chicana version of Ron Swanson (to an extent). I enjoy my privacy and do not feel the need to share too much of myself (especially with people I do not know). I am happiest when I am alone or in a foreign country. I like: reading, traveling, consuming pop culture, dogs, coloring, and reflecting on my life so I can come up with new farfetched ideas.
What am I? A human being.
Why am I here? I do not know yet. I ask myself this question everyday. Sometimes I ask this question in relation to graduate school. Other times I ask this question in relation to life in general. I tend to have an existential crisis at least once a day where I contemplate the meaning of life, my role in this time period, and the larger purpose(s) of my existence. I also tend to develop many backup plans and aspirations in case my current life situations do not workout. I have a tendency to focus on the forest rather than the trees which means that I often dismiss the present because I would rather plan for the future. I once had a dream where the the meaning of life was revealed to me and for a split second, I am confident I knew the answer. But as soon as I woke up, I immediately forgot. Could it be that I was not ready for such information? Maybe. My inability to recall the answer could also mean that I need to continue to be self-reflexive in order for this knowledge to be accessible once again.