Are we what we share?

I ran across this video from State the other day and laughed. Not just because it was funny (it is) but because of its inherent truthiness. It shows the most annoying parts of social media behavior.

Does what we share on social media really define us?

I would argue that it could.

What we share says a lot about us. It shows what we're into. The things we share is an indicator of what we like to associate ourselves with. We share the things that are important to us. Social media is used by many of us to project to the world how we want to be viewed, for better or for worse. This doesn't go for just the "lifecasting" moments we publish online. It goes for anything we share.

Everyone isn't a publisher online. Everyone could be a curator online. The content we collect and share is a projection of us as well. Do I want to be viewed as someone who is on top of the latest trends in my industry? Of course. So I share articles from industry publications with some commentary. Ideally, I've spent time reading that article, so I'm sharing something I've spent time with.

I share blog posts like this online, another thing I've spent time with (writing). I'll also share via Instagram things I may be doing in my personal life, like date nights with the wife or coffee meetings - things I'm also spending time with.

The things we spend the most time doing could ultimately define who or what we are, for better or worse.

Does what we share on social define us? Not completely. Whether it's fair or not, it's all a lot of people have to go by.

Do we spend too much time overanalyzing what we share or what we project online (like the video above)? Is there room for authenticity online? Is sharing something that shows our imperfections or pitfalls socially acceptable? Is it wise?

Or should we spend more time living and not sharing?

I don't have answers to any of those questions. Just something to think about before the next time we hit "publish."