When did it become standard and even attractive for people to promote themselves to the point of showing off? The act of selling a lifestyle, clothing, or, let's face it, child has become a typical occurrence in this age of blogs and social media.
This is a blog, so clearly I'm guilty of it myself to a degree, but I nevertheless am cognizant of the dilemma. I have witnessed others take personal marketing too far: posting pictures of themselves, their things, or their kids every other day, labeled with a bevy of trending hashtags. Is this too far? Where is the line drawn between sharing and selling something that isn't even ours to sell?
Throughout the past few years, indulgent, personal marketing has increased like a skyrocketing exponential curve - forever increasing like the head count of the Duggar children. Celebrities do it, bloggers do it, the girl you knew in high school does it. Sometimes when I view these posts, I think to myself, okay this person is trying to make themselves feel better, that's alright. I recognize that much of the time, someone is making an effort to uplift others, and this I whole heartedly appreciate. Yet, I too read captions that have not been thought out and contribute to stirring jealousy or confusion in the hearts of others. It's one thing to publicize a business or product, but there is a line that should not be crossed. Once this line is crossed, others think that such a level of promotion is "normal" and a chain reaction of sorts occurs, causing others to confuse the universe of the internet with the actual universe. We share the best of our lives. And I believe it is important to repeat this fact, as others have before me, to consciously remember it and avoid unhealthy comparison. Garish self-promotion is not far off from selling your soul...we should not attribute value to a person based on the number of "followers" they have, but rather simply appreciate their ability to curate content and cap it at that. Let's not get carried away in the same vein as actor and celebrity worship. I appreciate the urge to share. By all means, share and welcome others into your life. It is thoroughly inspiring to read others' stories. Though, the fine line between sharing and bragging need be paid more attention. In an era of screen addiction and status updates, public relations is unavoidable. Corporations are nontransparent in their attempts to market goods and often resort to labels that lie (ie. "organic" or "all natural" products that contain harmful particles). Let's not participate in similar rose colored, falsified portrayals.
