No to virality, yes to authenticity

Itrsquos so hard to not give in to the greed of going viral It makes you want to try everything mdash dancing to Tylarsquos Chanel or trying to ace some Gen Z trend mdash to be seen to be liked and to matterBut as a creator myself I have to say itrsquos a tiring endeavour How can one pretend to make a reel or follow a trend or viral hook when it doesnrsquot connect to who we areWhy would we want to be sheep on social media when we can be Jonathan Livingston Seagull Growing up the Richard Bach book of the same name was my favourite It tells the story of Jonathan the seagull who doesnrsquot just want to spend his life conforming but wants to soar high and fly harder faster and higher His flock doesnrsquot relate and banishes him but Jonathan is happy because he is following his purpose in lifeAnd I feel that analogy can be followed on social media as well Why canrsquot we all bring our unique selves to the online world and inspire others to be authentic and unique For example one of my favourite creators is alexreadstarot whose daily tarot readings are not about telling you what you want to hear but to help you introspectOr Mumbai chef poojadhingra who talks about the good bad and ugly of her life in the most normal way possible I always find myself in her contentOr photographer hashimbadani who always has a gorgeous yet muted way of looking at places and things especially MumbaiAlso I never feel they are following a template or trying to go viral They are just sharing who they are what they see feel and what they know And I love that and as a creator I want to be do the same mdash create content when I truly have something to say and make it in the way that feels most authentic to meI also feel being authentic could be the only way to be consistent and not get burnt out at the prospect of making content or even consuming it If we are online who we are offline then we never have to adjust and pretend Even if we are not creators and just spending our mornings and evenings on social media to relax and catch up with the world being authentic with what we share mdash be it a picture of dal chawal for lunch or a comfy night in mdash will help us connect to likeminded people And thatrsquos the true fun of being onlineI am going to end by quoting famous TED speaker and author Breneacute Brown ldquoAuthenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think wersquore supposed to be and embracing who we arerdquo Imagine all the people living in authenticity Oh what a wonderful online world that would beSee you next weekRanting and raving about all thatrsquos trending on social media Aastha Atray Banan is an author creator podcaster and the Editor of your favourite weekend read Sunday midday She posts at aasthaatray on Instagram Send your feedback tomailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper