Life

My Internet Reflection

i think i’m at a point of no return with this whole two point oh social networking scene. i’m fairly certain that if i had to communicate to a person.. in person… i might run away or hide in my hair. which actually happened today.

that’s why i feel like i need to take a step away from the facebook to analyze it’s impact on mostly me.

Self Exploration through fb profile pictures

what does it all mean? how do i censor myself? who am i? do i even exist? how many pixels wide am i? why are my tears so beautiful? am i numb inside or is it merely life that numbs itself to me?

these are common questions we all ask ourselves each day. exploring the “self” is important. i like to reflect on a daily basis. mostly by looking at my reflection in a mirror. but as we all know, your reflection is not always the face you present to the world. we often censor ourselves. essentially creating or equating reality with self. if you didn’t get that, you’re probably not smart enough to read this blog. intellectualism is not for everyone.

anyhoo, um… i need some java… totally falling asleep right now. what was i saying? oh yeah, exploring self and stuff. if you’re up for it, i really recommend an exercise from my 3 part Self-exploration Series, entitled “My Internet Reflection: What is my Facebook Profile Picture really saying?”

The exercise is simple. Look through your fb profile picture album which probably has over 100 photos of you, or 200+ if you are as gorgeous as me, and ask yourself “what is this picture saying about my inner self?”

Here is an example from my own fb self-examination.
The following photos are saying…

“Coordination is important to me.”

Lisa Bettany small business bc

“i heart attention”

Lisa Bettany swimwear campaign

“Please love me”

lisa bettany-swimwear-is-web-2point0

“I can balance a rock on my forehead”

Lisa Bettany Spa

“I like to play the guitar without pants on”

Mostly Lisa i-like-to-play-the-guitar-without-pants-on

“I am definitely a model”

Lisa Bettany modeling Richard Dubois

“I’m so bored right now”

Mostly Lisa waiting at an audition

Now let’s analyze these “truth statements”:

  1. appearance is important to me
  2. being centred and spiritually aware is essential for my growth
  3. music strips away my outer layers
  4. being labeled as a “model” by other people is important because i am vain
  5. vanity isn’t a fault when you are really good looking
  6. you’re probably boring me right now

Now it’s your turn. If I’m not still bored, let me know what your personal exploration into your fb profile picts reveal about you.

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  • Entropy
    September 18, 2007 at 7:40 AM

    I keep my paint brush with me. Wherever I may go
    In case I need to cover up
    So the real me doesn’t show.
    I’m so afraid to show you me,
    Afraid of what you’ll do.
    You might laugh or say mean things;
    I’m afraid I might lose you.
    I’d like to remove all of my paint coats
    To show you the real, true me,
    But I want you to try and understand
    I need you to like what you see.
    So if you’ll be patient and close your eyes
    I’ll strip off my coats real slow,
    Please understand how much it hurts
    To let the real me show
    Now my coats are all stripped off
    I feel naked, bare and cold,
    If you still love me with all that you see
    You are my friend pure as gold
    I need to save my paint brush though
    And hold it in my hand. I want to keep it handy
    In case somebody don’t understand.
    So please protect me my dear friend,
    And thanks for loving me true,
    But please let me keep my paint brush with me
    Until I love me, too.

    http://mybanyantree.wordpress.com/

  • Entropy
    September 18, 2007 at 8:13 AM

    I am Repeating my earlier comment..

    Like any good pusher, services social networking sites answer existing needs; they create new ones and then fill them. They come to us wrapped in the rhetoric of interpersonal connection, creating a sense that our loved ones, or at least liked or tolerated ones, are electronically present to us, however far away they may be.

    But I can’t help wondering if we’re underestimating the countervailing effect: the cost we’re paying in our disconnection from our immediate surroundings, in our dependence on a continuous flow of electronic attention to prop up our egos, and above all, in a rising inability to be alone with our own thoughts–with that priceless stream of analog data that comes not from without but from within.

    http://mybanyantree.wordpress.com/

  • Captain Sweatpants
    September 18, 2007 at 1:24 PM

    I know what you mean. Sometimes I feel like I’m too many pixels wide.

  • Chris
    September 18, 2007 at 7:33 PM

    I will reflect on your points when im less tired.

    Ive been slowly deleting my e-self in the past year. Deleted Bebo, MySpaz, Facebook. Is a conversation over the internet any less important than one face to face? I dont think so but everytime i add myself to yet another community i feel like im spreading myself thinner.

    On a funnier note…this is one of my fav comments of ALL time “vanity isn’t a fault when you are really good looking”

  • Mark
    September 19, 2007 at 12:33 PM

    Haha at No. 5. Reminds me of something someone once said:

    Derek Zoolander: Well I guess it all started the first time I went through the second grade. I caught my reflection in a spoon while I was eating my cereal, and I remember thinking “wow, you’re ridiculously good looking, maybe you could do that for a career.”

    Matilda: Do what for a career?

    Derek Zoolander: Be professionally good looking.

  • Nate
    September 19, 2007 at 2:41 PM

    You’ve posted some bold statements here… I never invest a great deal of thought into how I present myself via “teh internets” like you. You being the aspiring model and media queen, naturally, I’m sure look for meaning in every and all photos. Well in my case…. there isn’t any!!!

  • mcpaige
    September 19, 2007 at 5:37 PM

    I came up with two list … I guess both are a bit joking and a bit of the truth. (my interpretation).

    I wish I was in Russia and Russian
    Oh my God, I just had my wisdom teeth pulled
    Please love me
    The rock is just a distraction from my boobs
    I have more talent than just my body
    They are paying me for this?
    Do I see someone I know?

    I prepare for the day
    I’m a hot model
    I’m a hot model
    I’m very symmetrical
    Please see more than just my beauty
    Is this shoot over with yet?
    I’m so bored right now

  • Lisa Bettany
    September 20, 2007 at 6:00 PM

    i ate my food.

  • Lisa Bettany
    September 20, 2007 at 6:00 PM

    that’s it?

  • Dhruv
    November 30, 2012 at 11:51 AM

    the sexiest tech girl i have ever seen :D