Who Are You Without the Interests of Others?

Image Courtesy: The Notebook / Warner Bros. 

Social media is both a blessing and a curse. Constant inspiration, motivation, ideas, community building, and the same piece of clothing over and over and over again. 

A phenomenon that I think needs to be discussed more is the concept of interests based on consistent consumption of it. Do you actually like it, or have you just seen it a million times? 

We are always being fed advertisements and endorsements for everything; their sole purpose is to convince us that they are necessary to the success of our lives and that if you don’t have it, you will fall into a pile of doom and despair. Okay, that might be a little dramatic, but that is what it feels like when the same product is being sold to me time and time again. 

The foundation of our identities as a generation chronically online is built on what we consume, what other people our age are showing us, or what influencers we follow are using. The challenge I'm posing: what are your interests outside those of other people? What are things you're drawn to, not because you’ve been persuaded but because it calls to you?

I think it’s become so common for us to feel lost when we aren’t handed things to be interested in on a silver platter. The discovery of enjoyment is just as satisfying as the thing itself. For example, discovering that you like the color green because you’ve seen videos convincing you how great it is is way less impactful than discovering you like green because you bought a green shirt on a whim and realized it looks great with your hair. 

When you stop following what other people like or choose to do, it might feel like there's a void. The overwhelming amount of things to try, and yet not a clue what to start with. What do I want? What do I need? Start small. 

Like anything, the best things come when we least expect them. You can’t force an interest on yourself just like being forced by a person on the screen. When curiosity is piqued naturally, it becomes much more interesting and is a much more impactful building block for our identity as a whole.

Strike Out, 

Madi Denizard 

Boca Raton 

Madi Denizard is a content writer for Strike Magazine Boca. In typical Leo fashion, she is a social butterfly and loves self-expression of all kinds. When she’s not writing, you can find her with her nose stuck in a book, mermaiding in the ocean or crocheting her newest masterpiece. You can reach her by email at madison.denizard@gmail.com or on Instagram @mpaigee_