“I was scared of change yet change was in me all along.” ~ Ella Patrice
Now unless you’ve been living underneath a proverbial rock, I’m certain that you’ve heard of the algorithm changes that Instagram is going to be enacting (though not today, despite the turn on post notifications fervor (fyi – I find post notifications to be insanely annoying, anyone else?). The reaction has been less then stellar, to say the least, and I know that when I first heard about it I was aghast. I don’t particularly care for change – any change, and this one seemed particularly distasteful since I felt like my already quiet voice was going to certainly be drowned out in a sea of algorithmic calculations. I’ve since taken a few deep breaths, read a few articles, and realized that even if that were the (very unlikely) case, it would all be okay. What I recognized in my first, somewhat visceral and panicky reaction, was a case of FOMO (you know, Fear Of Missing Out). I was scared that I’d become invisible, and that my voice, my beautifully and thoughtfully curated feed would simply slip by, unnoticed and become nothing more than a bit of white noise in a virtual world filled with so much amazing chaos. But you know what? Actually stopping and thinking about it, I don’t mind if I’m not noticed most of the time. I prefer to post for myself, bits of my life, pieces of what makes it mine and I like to share it so that if others happen upon it and want to share in it they can. This is where the notion of JOMO (Joy Of Missing Out) comes into play. I would rather be fully present in my life and thoroughly engaging with it then spending it distracted by FOMO. With JOMO, I am in delightful control of me and mine and I feel like those who are interested in what I have to say, to share, will find me just like I’ll find the ones I want to know and listen to and engage with. JOMO frees me to post if, when, and what I want and I find myself less-likely to compare myself to others. We are all on our own paths, living our own lives and that makes comparison unnecessary. Yes, it still happens, but by embracing JOMO it’s so much easier to think and feel positively about what others are doing and what I’m doing. Algorithm changes or no, this was an excellent reminder of what’s really important and I want my life, and my feed, to represent ME – even if no one else pays attention (although I will never stop feeling giddy about a “like” or a “heart” – can you blame me?!). So please remember no matter what changes may occur, if you stay true to you and embrace a JOMO mindset, all will be just fine!
Sign me up for a JOMO internet life ~ I have my life to enjoy!
Namaste ~ Ella
BTW ~ You can find me on LaWhimsy Instagram @lawhimsy if you’d like, but I’d advise against turning on post notifications because they will drive you insane (scientific fact – or so it should be, lol)!
Lawhimsy 