Maslow's Hammer

Today I was reading an article by Tim Challies about the concept of Maslow's Hammer - when you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail - and how that compared to what we share on social media. I think about social media a lot - mainly because it's a large component of what I'm studying, but also because my partner has different views to me about restraint when sharing online. I, however, share a lot on social media - not as much as I could, but certainly enough that you could say I have a presence. Because I'm applying for communications graduate jobs right now - and a lot of them in my field require you to have some sort of presence - I've upped my social media sharing over the past few months.

Since getting Instagram a little over a year ago, my thoughts have slowly drifted from "Wow, I'm having a great experience with this person/food/setting/holiday. I'm going to soak it in and enjoy it... maybe take a couple of pictures to remember it." to, "I need to Instagram this." For a while that thought has been nagging me. Part of that is what I Instagram. I post pictures of Wade and I looking happy at weddings, a delicious cake, my new red hair. I don't Instagram pictures of Wade bickering, or of my face after it has broken out, or the big stack of bills I have on my desk that I've been avoiding. Probably because I know you don't want to see it. Mostly because I don't want you to see it.

But there was something else. And I couldn't quite put my finger on it until I read this tonight:

Some experiences are too full to distill to 140 characters and too rich to capture in a photo. Sharing such experiences through social media serves only to cheapen them. Do not allow yourself to ruin a beautiful moment by seeing it primarily as an opportunity to share it with strangers.

 It took me back to two days ago when Wade and I were having a beautiful, lazy day together down at Victoria Point at this gorgeous new bakery. I took a couple of pictures of Wade stuffing his face with this ginormous apple cobbler and some pictures of me with a sour cherry pie - I haven't had a sour cherry pie since America! Right after I took a picture, Wade said to me, "Please don't put that on Instagram" - and I didn't. Nobody but us (now everybody who reads my blog - haha!) would know about that beautiful day, and how delicious the pie was and how happy we were. And that made the moment much more special somehow.

So, for now I think I'm going to cool it with the Insta-spam - Wade will be delighted I'm sure! - and start taking pictures for myself and my own enjoyment, rather than to share with the world.

We'll see how we go...

- H