Badassery Magazine July 2018 Issue 26 | Page 20

not routinely posting makeup- less, unfiltered images of yourself, that you’re not being “real”, which ridiculously suggests that we all need visual evidence in order to believe that no one actually rolls out of bed looking flawless and camera-ready. I promise, I already assume you wake up with zits and wrinkles just like the rest of us. I don’t need photographic proof. I think we too often confuse image with identity, which is why we are so quick to attack each other for being “fake”. Maybe the way to tackle this problem is to…wait for it…stop assuming we know everything about someone based on their online presence. Wait, whaaaaaat?!? You mean get to know a real live person? I know, it’s a totally crazy idea. Very archaic…. circa, 1991. But have we forgotten that social media profiles are NOT intended to be an online encyclopedia of a person’s Amanda Russo 20 • BADASSERY MAGAZINE life? We’re giving companies like Facebook far too much power if this is our expectation. They’re already collecting enough personal data, and here we are, getting offended that people aren’t posting MORE of their lives and identities online for the social media companies to do with as they please. I say fuck it, throw their algorithms off as much as possible by posting a bunch of fake, filtered bullshit wheneve