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Your Digital Tattoo

Image source: Personal Photos

My Tattoo Story

When I was a freshman in college my best friend at the time called me up and said “Hey, I’m going to get a tattoo today! Want to come with me?” I said “Sure!”. I didn’t mind sitting with my friend as she got her tattoo. My friend had quite a few tattoos already. I had always wanted a tattoo but I was scared of the pain and also putting something permanent on my body. Never did I think that that day I would have gotten a tattoo! It was one of the most spontaneous things I’ve ever done. The tattoo does have meaning behind it. It wasn’t just random. However, I often look at it and think about how this is something permanent on my body. 

Instagram Analysis

I have always heard of my online presence as being a “digital footprint”. However, I do agree that it is more like a tattoo. Things you post never truly go away. With that being said, I decided to revisit my Instagram posts. Instagram is probably my favorite social media tool to use with the different features for stories, posts, and reels. I looked at the first 24-25 posts I ever made and my most recent 25 posts. You can see the difference in pictures and the relevancy to my life at the time.


First 25 Insta Posts 

Image Source: Blog Author's Instagram

Image Source: Blog Author's Instagram
I first made my instagram when I was a sophomore in high school. Therefore, I had to be about 15 or 16 years old. I was on the varsity cheerleading team and I spent a lot of time with my sister. My family also had two dogs at the time. So yes you guessed it, that's what these pictures included. Eight of the pictures contained my sister and/or family, seven pictures were of my dogs, six pictures were about cheerleading, and three pictures of a family friend's son whom I used to babysit. That is what my life consisted of at 16 years old. Babysitting, cheerleading, family, and my dogs. The posts are positive, showcasing cute things my dogs did, what my sister and I were up to, and my friends on my cheerleading team. Did these photos show everything about my life? Not even close. They definitely highlighted the positive things. Which is the nice thing about social media, you only have to share what you want to. One thing I did notice was back then, I posted much more frequently. It seems like just about every week I would post at least once if not more. 

Most Recent 25 Insta Posts

Image Source: Blog Author's Instagram
Image Source: Blog Author's Instagram


Taking a look at the most recent 25 Instagram posts, they are different but also similar in a way. Obviously I am not a 16 year old in high school anymore, there aren't many selfies, and I don’t post as frequently. Within these 25 pictures is between 2021 to now. I only post when I want to share about an event or a holiday. My priorities and interests remain similar to years ago even though my most current posts don’t necessarily reflect it. I actually coach cheerleading at the high school I attended, so cheerleading is still very important to me. I still spend a lot of time with my sister and my two current dogs. However shortly after my first posts, I started dating my high school boyfriend who is now my Fiance. As our relationship progressed, I shared more and more pictures of us and things we do together. Within my recent posts there are pictures from our anniversaries, trips we've taken, and our engagement. Similar to my first posts, they are positive things highlighting things going on in my life. They don’t show “real life” in my opinion because they just highlight the good things. One of the pictures is me on my 24th birthday. In the picture I am smiling. No one would know that I was actually having a horrible birthday because it was my first birthday without my grandpa.

ADL (Anti-Defamation League) makes the point that people typically create the image you want people to see of you. In my case, I post a lot of the highlights that happen in my life. Important achievements. With that being said, if what we post online is like our digital tattoo, we should create the image we want people to see and perceive us. Many people put a lot of thought into the tattoos they put on their body. We should be doing the same when putting things on the internet because, it will never truly go away.

How would you categorize your social media posts? What do they say about you? Check out this article to see what your posts say about you!



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Comments

  1. EdApril 14, 2024 at 6:53 PM

    Awesome post! You definitely post about your authentic self. Too many people post things that are totally fake and misleading. It is like they have a separate social media persona that they get caught up in. I would say my social media posts are completely boring, I might post something twice a year, maybe less.

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