Point: You Should Announce All Your Achievements on Social Media
By Karen Paulson
There’s no shame in being proud of yourself- it’s called self-esteem. What’s wrong with reminding my 1,000 closest friends on all my social media profiles that I recently reached a mild level of success? I got a job right out of college! That doesn’t happen to everyone.
I’m so proud to announce that I’ll be working as a indentured servant at Yahoo! on top of balancing food safety advocacy at In-N-Out. I’m also planning to save towards spending $100,000 on getting another certificate of validation in grad school! If I can’t share my joy with other people, then what’s the point of working so hard?
If you would like to hear more about me and my journey to success, please follow me on Instagram where I will inevitably post a picture of myself smiling, captioned by a 1,000 word essay. It’s not much, but I hope I empower other people through my life story and experiences with adversity.
Counterpoint: Karen, You’re the Reason Why I’m in Group Therapy
By Bill Barnett
I’m actually really happy for everyone who can be proud of themselves. My support group says that social media is just a “highlight reel.” That’s why I stopped using it, and focused my efforts into community service projects, my work at various local soup kitchens, and prosecuting against white-collar crime.
It’s fulfilling. But lonely. Karen’s worked on that Instagram success essay for months. And people love her, obviously. 60 whole likes? That’s 60 more people than I have.
I too, wish to one day experience the sweet joys and warm fuzzies of virtual appreciation. That little notification sign on the app. The rush of reading people’s reactions in the comments section. The indication that somebody loves you.