Too vulnerable or Too cocky?
By: Asmita Karanje
Tags: Vulnerable, Médium, Facebook, Instagram, Social Media

Social Media

Too vulnerable or Too cocky?

Who are you?

Between being vulnerable and being cocky — where do you draw the line? When you are showing your most sensitive side, and the other person is showing this egotistical and pretentious side of theirs, how do you react?

When you talk about, how your thoughts don’t align with your parents and how you are still struggling to adjust to the new city and the varied people around you, but this colleague talks about their wonderful lifestyle, sorted decisions and the expensive little pooch they got.

If life is just so perfect, then why do you have to shove it into other people’s face?

My problem with such people isn’t because I envy their so-called perfect life. In fact, it is the opposite; I pity their short-sightedness. It’s what I despise, not being sensitive about the other person, not following a conversation and creating a perception of a fancy life. If only were you honest, would I know how shitty it is on the other side of the grass as well?

I am not saying this because I derive pleasure from knowing how others are not doing as well as I am. I am saying this out of the frustration of this larger than life, big-headed, self-aggrandizing people of my generation who know little but brag a lot. I derive nothing out of you. We can never have a real conversation, leave alone connecting at a deeper level.

It is also how I see social media these days — at two polarising ends.

Some people are too flashy, loud and outspoken (for their own good) on one end and some who are too vulnerable, honest and crass on the other. Vulnerability helps in understanding a person, their life stories, and connecting at a deeper level.

I love how Shannon Ashley writes — her writing is honest, and it shows. She deeply personifies the topic and instantly grabs a reader’s attention. But unfortunately, not all social media influencers are the same.

Especially in this like, comment and subscribe world that we live in, a lot of it is just click-bait and admittedly so by the influencers themselves. Sometimes in their quest to open up with their followers, they show you somewhat overtly personal and sensitive stories. It also risks getting pity followers than real ones and drives you as a consumer into a conundrum of dark, unfortunate stories one after another.

On the other extreme, you have influencers who are far fetched from reality or at least that’s what they want to drive across their followers — sorry but what will an over-the-top perfect beachside body in a highly photoshopped background try to convince me — that you were reading a book and having a good time, really ?

No way! Having traveled to various places, I can say one thing for sure — you either read a book and don’t care how you look or even remember to take a photo or you just shoot from a million different angles for that perfect photo, you can never be both at the same time.

Again, I have nothing against those who chose being this vain, pompous and disdainful self. But there might be a little merit in learning from your vulnerable counterpart to let go of that mean attitude, downplay your act and be modest of your escapades. And the same goes for the other extremes too — be humble, honest and open about your experiences but don’t lose that wit, don’t be dark and somber all the time.

Let’s try and balance the two for a change.

I sometimes want to look my best, pose for a photo and share it just for the likes and sometimes I want to share my deepest thoughts and ideas, without a damn about the photo — Am I allowed to do both without being too vulnerable or too cocky?