Hi guys, I'm Bella!!
For my first blog post I am going to be writing about "Mead" and my thoughts and opinions on it. "Mead" was originally developed by George Herbert as a way to define the process of one's identity within their internal and external interactions in society. The "me" in mead is how others see you and the "I" in mead is how you see yourself, AKA - your ego. The "me" is learned by interacting with others and the environment. The "I" is held by the "me", meaning you can learn about yourself by finding out people's perceptions of you.
Some people believe that we only have one or the other, but I believe we have both, the "I" and the "me". Why do I think this? Well I'll break it down for you. How you see yourself is most likely not the same way others see you, meaning you have to have your own "I" for others to see your "me". My main reason for believing in this is because I know how others see me, but they honestly don't know much about me - just what's on the outside, my "me".
Growing up I didn't have an easy childhood, but even at a young age I was judged for my appearance and what people "thought" my life was like. My image was portrayed by the clothes I wore and what my house looked like, even though that wasn't actually me - it was just other people's perception of who I was. People assumed I had this awesome life, when in reality I went through some raw stuff at a young age. I didn't talk about my past much, unless someone asked - which is probably why people had their own opinions of me. I think I felt better knowing people judged me from my appearance on the outside instead of knowing my actual inner self. I remember thinking I never wanted to share my experiences because every time I did people started to look at me differently - which proves my point in saying that their "me" of me changed when they learned my true "I".
Social media also plays a huge factor in people's perceptions of you. You can follow someone that looks like they have the BEST life, but really behind the camera you have no idea what they are going through. Recently there has been a TikTok trend of people explaining their Instagram posts and what actually went on during their pictures. Some of the videos I saw were pretty honest in saying how they actually had a crappy day, but wore a cute outfit so they decided to smile for a couple photos that turned out to be "Insta worthy". To be honest, I'm sure a lot of people have done this before, I know I have - it happens during family pictures every year. Life can be portrayed to look so amazing on social media, but in reality that may not be the true way that person is living.
Being totally transparent with someone can be hard, especially in today's society. There are so many standards and different beliefs, it's easy to feel judged if you aren't living the same as someone else, or in social media's case - posting the same as someone else. Here is a good example - I'm sure by now you have seen the "sorority girl" filter and if you don't know what I'm talking about then you probably live under a rock (not really but really). Literally using the same filter as someone can give you a label, which goes back to talking about your "me". Automatically if your Instagram feed has pictures of you where your filter makes you look slightly like an Oompa Loompa, then people can label you as a "rich sorority girl with blonde hair", when in reality maybe you just like that filter. Me - I'm one of those people who just like the filter (no I don't know why but I do) but I am not in a sorority. That is just one of the many ways I have been stereotyped before - ALL because of a F I L T E R.
Posting a picture of yourself smiling obviously portrays to someone that you're happy, but everyone knows that the person posting may just be posing. I feel like that is the same thing when talking about your "I" and your "me". All your "me" really is, is how others see you - whether that is in person, in class, or on social media. I believe that your "me" can also sway what you think your "I" is, but I don't believe that's the only way you're going to find your true "I". Like I said in the beginning, I know most people's image of me is not even close to my reality. That being said, labels or no labels - my "me" to someone else doesn't define my true "I".
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