Social media has drastically altered how we document our human experience. We post, tweet, link and share all our curiousities, insecurities, triumphs and tribulations. We have commenced downloading our entire existence in the form of videos, photos and 140-character blurbs with no indication that we may actually be losing our identity.

Through the creation of bio after bio to various social media sites, we are creating alter egos that most often do not reflect our true selves.

We are taking the liberty of overemphasizing the good, downplaying the bad and never speaking about the uncomfortable.
On social media, we are beautiful, fun, exciting, engaging, wonderful, and all sorts of rainbows and sunshine. In reality, we are just as flawed as anyone else.
The world could be falling apart and you along with it, but, have no fear your social media ego is here to tell the world it’s all good.
It doesn’t matter what type of person you are, what gender you’re a part of or how you take in your content, the idea is the same: to share with the users of that platform your similar interests, ideas and thoughts.
With over one million active accounts, Facebook is the most prominent of the social media platforms. Its user friendly interface and popularity make it an easy fit for people of all technological abilities. Twitter takes brevity to a new level, offering only 140 characters to get your point across. This is the most immediate of social media platforms and operates like an open chat room. For the visual junkie, Youtube provides an incredible database of amateur videos of varying lengths and concepts.
And for the career-orientated you, LinkedIn can connect you with potentially thousands of individuals in your industry for an opportunity to market and network.
Aside from these four main social media platforms, more and more are being created and as long as we are glued to our mobile devices, more and more will come and go. We’ve already seen the passing of ICQ and MSN Messenger. Some of the newest in social media sites include Pinterest, a site designated to women; Vine, a site designed to shoot, edit and share 15-second videos; Tumbler, a site that gives the user control of the type of content being consumed and Instagram, a place to share photos.
The list goes on and will continue to grow along with our global population and insatiable lust for instantaneous communication. Due to the advent of social media and the Internet, the world, with over seven billion people, has become significantly smaller, so much so that, according to researchers at Milan University and Facebook, the standard six degrees of separation has now been downgraded to 4.7 degrees. But at what point do we begin to lose our true identity?
Chances are that if you use more than one social media site, then you have altering egos. You may have a Facebook site that depicts you as a fun and exciting person, with posts about your weekend on the slopes or your night out at that fancy club.
Your Twitter persona may be a little more humble by only tweeting thoughts about how you could make the world better. Your LinkedIn account is all business; here you are a confident and ambitious individual who is gunning for the top spot with a poignant and strong demeanur. Your Youtube account is full of videos about ridiculously cute animals and your Instagram is all about you and that special someone.
Now which one is the real you? On your Facebook profile you’re green with blue stripes, on your Twitter profile, you’re blue with green stripes, on LinkedIn you’re just yellow and on Instagram you’re a rainbow of colours.
The truth is it really doesn’t matter. So long as you are true to yourself and continue to share at unbelievable rates, social media will continue to grow and consume whatever is left of our free time. Share often and share responsibly.