Instagram you vs. iMessage you

I used to think comedians were nothing more than idiots who knew how to get a laugh.

Now I realize they are nothing short of modern day philosophers who know how to plant interesting-idea-seeds in our minds.

Hasan Minhaj is one of my favorite comedians. His stand up specials are great but I found myself wanting more. So I listened to every podcast he’s been on.

He had a throwaway line somewhere around the 1 hour 24 minute mark on one of them. Yet the words have nuzzled themselves in the corner of my mind — I’m trying to close the gap between Instagram me and iMessage me.

What does that mean?

People used to get locked up in a lunatic asylum if it was discovered they had multiple personalities. This was considered to be a chronic mental illness. But thankfully it didn’t afflict too many people.

Now?

Anyone with a smartphone and a social media account suffers from multiple personality disorder.

There’s Instagram you and iMessage you.

It’s a brutal game of tug o’ war. And many of us don’t even realize we’re playing it.

My theory is that the wider the gap between the two, the more miserable you are.

I’m struggling with this myself so I figure I’m not alone. Which makes this an idea worth exploring.

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First, let’s dissect the difference between the two.

Instagram you is a social signaling son of a gun.

Instagram you craves for a round of applause from people you barely even know, or worse, don’t even like.

Instagram you only shares the highlight reel moments from your exotic vacations, music festivals, sporting events, or whatever. Which make up less than 1% of your actual life.

Instagram you is all too quick to hop on the bandwagon of whatever cultural trend has entered the mainstream today but will be forgotten about tomorrow.

Instagram you is so desperate for likes and comments and clout that you’ll do anything short of sell your soul for some external validation.

Instagram you is a perfectly polished, politically correct version of you.

Instagram you is a strange caricature of who you really are.

In other words, Instagram you is a fraud.

It’s exhausting being Instagram you all the time.

Now, for the opponent on the opposite side of the tug o’ war rope.

iMessage you is who people really want to know.

iMessage you is willing to be honest, authentic, and vulnerable with people you trust.

iMessage you will share what’s going on the other 99% of the time you aren’t posing for another god damn selfie.

iMessage you has had a group chat with their best friends for the past ten years where anything goes.

iMessage you is your anti-resumé that contains a hodgepodge of all your worst ideas, thoughts, and beliefs that would surely get you canceled by the morality police if they ever got their filthy paws on them.

iMessage you isn’t afraid to go against the conventional wisdom by questioning the madness going on around you instead of immediately jumping to conclusions because that’s what Fox news or CNN told you to get all up in arms about.

iMessage you isn’t afraid to admit how messy your life really is.

In other words, iMessage you is who you really are.

It’s freeing being iMessage you.

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Show me someone who’s Instagram self is unrecognizable from their iMessage self and I guarantee you’ve got a person who has a nasty storm brewing inside of them.

Why?

They’re living a double life.

I know this because I’m a perfect example.

Take a quick glance at my Instagram profile and you’ll see a chap who seems to be living an envious existence. But that’s such a small sliver of my actual life.

Take a quick glance at my iMessage threads and ahhhhh, now you’ll have a more realistic picture of who I really am. Warts and all.

So are we headed towards a future where we continue to focus on crafting this ideal image of ourselves on Instagram just for a few more likes?

Or are we willing to take a stand and lean into our iMessage selves who risk being misunderstood, ostracized, and unpopular?

I don’t know.

I don’t think the solution is to be an open book on Instagram. Nobody wants that.

I don’t think the solution is to be a highlight reel flexer on iMessage. Nobody wants that either.

But I do know that the ever increasing gap between the two is a recipe for misery.

I’m torn.

No pithy one liner is coming to me as a one-size-fits-all solution to this modern struggle no one properly prepared us for.

But I do want to leave you with a question that’s worth chewing on as you get back to the tug o’ war game you’re unknowingly playing — How closely does Instagram you reflect iMessage you?

Your thoughts? Criticisms? Complaints? Please leave a comment below.