By OLIVIA TICE
Social networks are often criticized as a means for people to create false personas and unrealistic representations of themselves.
But who is to say that my mind isn’t made up of hundreds of versions of me?
All art forms from books, music, media, etc. have been reflections of the artistic self in one way or another.
The Internet is simply another opportunity to express our streams of consciousness and represent ourselves as we would like to be seen and heard.
Nowhere is it written that we cannot use the Internet as a form of self-discovery and cultivation.
And who says that “my [insert social network] persona” has to match the way that I conduct myself in person or in any other medium?
There is no shame in expressing different versions of your consciousness to the world. The anonymity of the Internet allows both a sense of confidence and a front for hate.
We have the power to connect, to do immense amounts of good online, but instead I see the Internet used as a daily source of isolation and negativity, a means of monetary gain.
What would happen if every person put their best foot forward online? How much could be accomplished if everyone with a smart phone used it in an efficient and passionate manner?