I find immense satisfaction in going against the tide as well as walking on the path less traveled. Where’s the joy in following the herd? I wear the badge of being “unpopular” with so much pride that it should be considered scary.
For the longest time I enjoyed blogging (circa 2005) and gave myself a working title: Visual Storyteller. In the beginning social media allowed for a new form of self expression, where the “outcasts” and “misfits” could share our unique perspectives with or without words. It allowed a bunch of us who shied away from limelight to connect with likeminded people without the pressure of performance. At the same time that connection broadened our world view.
My storytelling, right from the beginning, was rooted in my personal experiences and sartorial experiments. I wrote about thoughts that seeked me out. I don’t ever remember having to pursue them. The whole process added so much joy, and energy and excitement in to my life.
Fast forward a few years and facebook came along, Twitter followed close behind, and then Pinterest and Instagram and Vine and Snapchat and Stories and Reels and TikTok and then (dramatic pause) … death! It all became a race for maximum engagement with minimal attention. In other words, society found a way to monetize what the misfits had created for self expression. I tried to participate, albeit even successfully for past five-six years but now I am going back to the hybrid model from 2005-2011.
I have heard from bloggers who had felt the same way as I do now, that there comes a tipping point when mindlessly creating content or sharing outfits just doesn’t cut it any more. It all loses meaning and you recognize the madness for what it is. What had once started as a means to connect, and overcome prejudice and as an act to put yourself out there, slowly becomes a race to meet arbitrary expectations from strangers on the internet. And if there is one thing to know about me, it is that everyone who has any expectation from me, will definitely be let down eventually. I march to the beat of my own drum. I never complain. I never explain. All my choices are my own and I solemnly face the consequences of them as well.
This time let me leave you with a quote, which is my own :D and not copied from the internet:
When what once was an act of defiance for a minority becomes a benchmark to attain for a majority, it is time to shake things up, for no one else but yourself! —Tanvi