In the aftermath of 7 days of consistent blogging, it is safe to suggest that we are all blogged out. However, in light of this activity, some very interesting questions have been raised about the ways by which I engage with social media, why I have developed these practices and perhaps where these practices have stemmed from.

The element of consistent blogging that I probably struggled with the most was my exploration of the question why? It felt extremely foreign to have to explain why I like certain photos, why I post particular things, why I use a specific platform for a specific purpose, and why I do it at a precise time of the day. I had never felt the need to take a step back and ponder why I had adopted particular media practises and how they had even come about, but once I did, some very interesting concepts came to light.

Firstly, I realised that I have developed a strong impulse to post on Instagram and send pictures via Snapchat. I wondered why this was, and came to the conclusion that Instagram is probably my most private social media platform, as I have been very conscious about who follows me and who is able to view my account. My Instagram account is private, and I only approve follow requests from people whom I know very well and have an invested interest in. I do not follow celebrities or bloggers and keep my Instagram as a selective diary of my every day life as well as a means of keeping up with my 62 followers whom I mutually follow. In regards to Snapchat, the concept of control comes in to play again, this time due to the fact that I can choose whom I send my content to, similar to sending messages, instead with images.

I can be a very private person, and I feel that Instagram and Snapchat were the most convenient means of expressing myself and documenting my life while also being very particular with who views my content. This bids a very interesting question: is anything that is posted on the Internet really personal? Is it possible to lead a private life while engaging with online media?

My answer is yes. However, monitoring, surveillance, and privacy settings are essential in doing so. Adjusting my settings and ensuring my accounts are private have made my life as private as I would like it to be. There is a certain extent to which I would like to be engaged with online media, and I am able to draw my own line and be selective with who follows me and views my content. The more private my account is, the more comfortable I feel disclosing information about myself on the respective platform.