By Nancy Cruse
This week my beautiful mother turned 85. We celebrated in the formal dining room at the assisted living facility where she lives. Being the dutiful daughter I am, I captured the event digitally, posted it on Facebook and tagged her. It was a highlight of my year.
Based on what people post on Facebook, we think we know them. But do we really? Can we figure out who a person is by the funny cat videos they post? What does it mean if all a person posts is pictures of the food they eat? What about the person who makes sure the world knows they started their day at the gym, went to work, went out to lunch at Olive Garden, took the kids to baseball, and finished the evening with a glass of wine on the patio. Can you say “too much information?”
We all unconsciously brand ourselves with what we present to the public. In our day to day lives, we dress a certain way to present a certain image. We may have a professional persona we present at work and a casual one we present at home.
Who are we presenting when we post on Facebook? Facebook provides a unique opportunity to expose who we really are or to carefully manage who we want the world to think we are. Don’t want anyone to know that you are a Trump supporter? Just don’t post it on Facebook. Want to hide your depression? Post inspirational, feel good quotes.
How do we know who people really are? Here’s a radical idea. Have a face to face conversation. Send them an email. Better yet, write an old fashioned letter. Anderson Cooper, in his book, “The Rainbow Comes and Goes,” spent a year emailing back and forth with his 91 year old mother. He says, “When I remember all those I have lost in my life, I think of all the questions I wish I had asked them, the things I wish I had told them. I will have no such regrets with my mom, and for that I am very thankful.”
Facebook makes it easy for us to keep people at bay. Take a risk – show someone who you really are and take the time to find out who they really are. And don’t post it on Facebook!
Nancy Cruse has been part of the Bloomington/Normal community for the past almost 30 years. A widow, with five children, along with her late husband was a small business owner in downtown Bloomington. Now employed by State Farm, Nancy is active in the community, writing the Clare House newsletter and maintaining their Facebook page, hosting an annual Fourth of July Food Drive, a team leader and fundraiser for the Pat Nohl Lupus Walk, and a member of Toastmasters International, as well as volunteering in various capacities at Holy Trinity Church and schools. In her spare time, Nancy likes to run, bike, hike, read, sew, and be a vegetarian who occasionally indulges in a Schooners Tenderloin.
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