There is a lot of blogging buzz lately about authenticity. Are we being genuine and true to what life is really like when we share our world online? Or, are we presenting an unrealistic fairytale? Does it even matter? Today, I am teaming up with Ez from Creature Comforts and a host of other amazing bloggers to discuss this very topic, spurred to life from a few twitter conversations and this post from Jess over at Makeunder My Life.
I should start by telling you that I’m a peace keeper and avoider of all things confrontation and controversy. I don’t like to be mean or strongly opinionated so I’m not really down with blog drama or judgment; we are all just trying to do the best we can, I’m sure. For me personally, my hope always is that I am always “myself” online, just as I am in real life and that people see and recognize that. Being honest and an over-sharer is in my nature (I am a horrible liar) and presenting a virtual life by any other vein doesn’t contribute to the reasons I blog in the first place. That being said, there is such a thing as “selective editing of non-essential material”. Just because I choose not to share every detail of life, does that make me “un-authentic”? How about if I only ever showcased the good and never mentioned the bad? All good things to ponder! What do you think?
The level at which people share their personal lives or daily struggles online runs the gamut and in my opinion, it’s a personal choice and is probably dependent on a number of things such as the type of blog you write, your follower base, relationships with sponsors/brands, or your overall comfort level with the internet in general. I truly believe we attract what we put out into the universe. If you feel like a blog may be unauthentic or fake and you don’t like it because it’s not “real life”, then don’t read it. If you need that bit of fantasy to help you through your day, go for it. There’s something for everyone, and there always will be.
Although I feel like this blog is pretty open, there are always things I fail to mention just because I feel like they aren’t really that important or uplifting, or I just plain forget. For example:
- Josh and I have opposite work schedules and no similar days off together. Some days, we only see each other for a few minutes. It makes me sad and blah.
- I feel like I “need a drink” a lot more after having Sky. It’s exhausting. Thinking about doing it all over again makes me even more exhausted. Sky will definitely have a sibling though….at some point.
- I pay someone to clean our house because I can’t handle the stress that comes with things always being dirty or the resentment that builds up when I spend all nap/free time cleaning toilets and floors. I sometimes feel guilty because having a housecleaner was always something only “rich” people had, and I don’t consider us rich at all.
- I am a typical first born, type A, paranoid/OCD, people pleaser.
- I think I’m probably deficient in a ton of vitamins because I’m so tired and worn out all the time. I kind of want to go to the doctor just to get all my levels checked, especially Vitamin D.
- The first thing that attracts me to read and stay with a blog is the design and layout. If a blog looks like it was created in a 1992 version of PAINT or is cluttered with so much junk that I can’t find the content, I might bounce away….just because it hurts my eyes.
- I never really experienced “mom guilt” about returning to work after I had Sky. In fact, I actually wanted to go to work. It’s very possible I might be in the loony bin if I stayed home full time. Although, as Sky has gotten older, I think I could handle stay at home life better now than I could when he was a baby.
Even more randomness can be found in this post.
Be sure to check out Ez’s post as well as links to all the other wonderful bloggers who contributed to this project and were brave enough to share things they might otherwise delete before hitting "publish". I hope you enjoyed reading this today and take the time to see what other’s have to say on this topic!
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