My Online Footprint

I have never had a good relationship with social media, but I have always had one because it felt like a necessary evil. I was a popular target for cyber bullying when I was younger because I was the first girl in my small, sheltered Catholic school to ever get a 'boyfriend'. I got slandered with the words "slut" and "whore" in person and on my social media pages from the age of 13-15 and that was traumatizing to me. I just remember thinking, "who is seeing these things, and thinking I was a slut when I hadn't even kissed a boy yet?"

Because of that, I have been an advocate for how important it is to teach young girls the emotional dangers of social media. I don't think its fair or appropriate that we are exposed to that kind of sexist ridicule at such a young age, because it really takes a toll on your self esteem and it has a lasting effect. However, as much as I am an advocate of that, I had never actually practiced what I preached. I kept all of my pages, untouched, expect for once every couple of months when I had some photos I felt needed sharing with family and friends because I was truly proud of them. I just couldn't make the plunge into deleting my pages entirely, until my instagram was hacked a couple of weeks ago.

I tried desperately to get it back, but to no avail and I had no choice but to just let it all go. It was isolating, freeing and altogether terrifying. It sounds dramatic but thats the kind of power that social media can have on the youth of today. It goes from a fun way to connect to your friends to a nightmare all too quickly.