Can we, for God's sake, keep a little more for ourselves?
Without really thinking about it, I click open my (more than) daily scroll-around Instagram. A nice interior, a dreamy vacation destination, a crying photo (?) and a breast pump are the yield.
People, why do we share this? I am a big advocate of keeping it real, don’t get me wrong. The curves of Miljuschka can appear in my feed as often as possible just like Vivian Hoorn who is extremely skilled at serving up a grain of salt. But the motivation to throw everything online completely escapes me.
Snot-covered face
Why would you want to share everything online with the world if you don’t do that in daily life? I am not at all looking forward to my neighbor seeing my tired face after a crying fit. Or that my colleague sees the breast milk dripping from the pump when I have to rush to the next job. And it’s not even about these specific themes for me, but mainly about the concept of sharing. We share everything with the whole world all day long, that you almost forget that this is not necessary at all. It’s not an obligation, no one asks it of you.
It all feels a bit forced to me when influencers, who are extremely skilled at sketching magical situations, suddenly throw in a bit of misfortune or discomfort. As if they want to emphasize that they are human too. “Yes, I stay monthly in the posh Plaza Athénée in Paris dear followers, but I also have PMS and feel miserable.” Stop it with me. I also don’t want a photo of my aunt Agaath’s tear-streaked and snot-covered face, so why would I want to see it from you? Just call your girlfriends when you turn into a fury with menstrual pain. I do that too.
Orchestrated nonsense
By the way, I make a loving exception for the real people who consistently only share the truth online. Where daily life is never polished and everything is as it is. You know why you follow that person, you know it won’t be prettier than it is, you know that after the photo of a Christmas dinner you will definitely see a photo with the pants on the hook. Kudos! But just stop with that orchestrated nonsense where occasionally a bit of humanity is displayed. Just to stay a bit approachable for your dear viewers online AND to reel in the advertisers. Let’s not forget that.
