Why do you have to pull it out?

    This week we looked at a couple things that I've noticed amongst my friends and generation that I  hadn't exactly realized until we talked about them. We talked on identity work, and remembrancing. We looked at remembrancing, which to me is a mixture of the two words remembering, and reminiscing. Remembering has to do with the account of the memory, when reminiscing is how you felt when thinking of that memory. When a group of people reminisce on their glory days, they are reminded on how they felt being on top (or at least on top in their perspective). Take a football team from the 80's who won the state championship for example. When they get together they are reminiscing over the memory of them being on top, running the school with everyone looking up to them. They remember the memory, but reminisce over the feeling that they might not have ever got to feel again.

    For me, I have never been one to pull my phone out. Do I wish I would have more? Maybe a little bit. But, there's a part in me that thinks that is not exactly healthy. How are you supposed to make memories and enjoy the moment you're in if you are living it through your camera? I can see why people like to pull it out though, because in times of boredom or sadness you always have those good memories to look back on that make life a little better. In chapters 3 & 4, we learned about something called media accounting. This is when you post things to your social media so you can look back on it when accounting for different memories. We must keep a balance for how much we account on our media. Why do you, or in anyone else in that matter care about the grilled cheese you made on October 2nd at 3:13 PM? It's for accounting. It's like a diary, but for everyone else to see. Maybe you made the grilled cheese with a friend who is no longer alive, and that "one year ago today" snapchat reminder helped you remember some more memories about that friend. Last night I had posted for the first time on my snapchat for a while. I went and got some Korean BBQ and wanted people to know, so I posted a quick three second video of me and my buddy cheering some Soju. This was media accounting because I can now look back at that three second video and remember how bad it tore my stomach up the next morning.  

    When it comes to identity work, we all play different roles on social media. When it is our best friends birthday, of course we are going to give them a shoutout or post a couple pictures. We do this because that is our role as a friend. Of course, we don't have to post pictures for every single person we knows' birthday, because in some friendships that is not our role. If we were best friends in elementary and haven't talked since middle school, I wouldn't expect you to post for me. It's not your role. Maybe a nice happy birthday text would suit. Another way we use identity work is through the selfie. If you want to establish a relationship you just developed, what's a better way than posting a selfie to show everyone your new friend? If you just met them five minutes ago then I wouldn't recommend posting a selfie because that is just plain weird. If it's a friend you have known for a little bit, a selfie is a good way to show off your friendship. I know people out there that get offended when they don't get posted on their friends socials. It validates some friendships, which is odd but it makes sense. If you have a friend who is always posting one of your other friends but not you, you're gonna feel a little left out. You might even feel like you are embarrassing to your friend, and them posting you may hurt their social status, or IDENTITY. 

    In conclusion, there a couple of reasons why we have to pull it out. We want to remember the memory, we want to reminisce on the memory, and the memory helps us with our identity. We do this with media accounting, which allows us to look back at any moment while in the future. Humans love to reminisce and remember the best parts of our lives. This is why we have holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. We all gather around the table to tell funny stories that we remember so we can think about the simpler times. The times when we weren't growing old. The times when we weren't moving away. The times when we weren't thinking of any of those things. Identity work and remembrancing help us cope with these things. We shouldn't get lost in our phones when making memories, and should try to live in the moment as much as possible. But, there is nothing wrong with pulling it out to save memories for later. Do as you wish, but keep a balance.