When I was in those awkward in
between years, I relied on quotes that I found on Pinterest to explain my
feelings to the outside world. We all know those in between years were the
worst on our mental wellbeing. I would use those quotes to find meaning in
myself, to find meaning about the world, and I would just collect them because
I liked them. I had a wall of quotes in the shape of a heart… pretty sappy and
very typical, huh? I think even still to this day a
good inspirational quote can life me up, or help to explain a feeling I am
having. And if we really take a step back, I think we can see where these
quotes really came from.
Quotes just don’t pop up out of
nowhere. They are said by some very inspirational, influential people (whoever
that may be to you). These quotes were
often written in the journals of people from centuries and generations ago.
Take for example, Ralph Waldo Emerson. He kept journals full of his
wisdom-filled thoughts about life after setting out on a “peopleless” journey
to find himself. I am sure we have all heard the quote, “Do not go where the
path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” (Emerson).
Many of his infamous quotes were first recorded in his journal, which as we
have learned, was the earliest form of social media. And now on this newer
generations form of social media, all we have to do is google “Ralph Waldo
Emerson quotes” and BOOM. A whole
universe of quotes pops up.
Below are 20 screenshots from
twitter after searching the hashtag “MondayMotivation”.
Among all of the
paid promotions and typical celebrity workout posts, were some very heartfelt
and meaningful #MondayMotivation. And as I stated before, I am a sucker for
these kinds of things, so I went for it. These quotes amazing examples of the
media traces we leave and all of the media accounting we do on a daily basis.
From before the internet was even a thing, to posting these quotes on Twitter.
When discussing The Qualified Self
by Lee Humphreys, I found myself thinking about all of the journaling and
scrapbooking I have done, and still do (I guess I’m old school!) and how I have
seen myself grow and mature though those pages. Herein lies the idea of “media
accounting”. This is the process of documenting our presence and explaining our
presence and action through a media platform. Whether that be a diary,
scrapbook, wall of quotes, a tweet, or an Instagram post. All of my written
quotes and accounting of times and things and people and thoughts have all been
documented. Maybe for one day to be read and published as some higher thinking,
probably not… but nevertheless, I think all quotes we like, share, and post
stem from this age-old idea. They are in a round about way, collections of our
thoughts, just written out for us to have been discovered as #relatable or #butwhyisthisme.
Humphreys also suggests that “… media accounting is an important way through
which we come to understand processes and change- changes about ourselves and
others.” (Humphreys 13). One day at a time we see the traces. A quote posted
here a quote posted there, but when we take a step back we can see all the
changes over a period of time we have made.
These people posting these quotes
with the hashtag MondayMotivation, are sharing themselves through the quote
they have chosen, as well as hoping it will inspire others. This kind of media
accounting can be seen all the way back to Emerson. He is sharing bits of his
own weaknesses and strengths in the quotes he creates, and those reading them
find them relatable, even in this generation. I think we all have a soft spot
for a good motivational quote. Even those that are blunt and make us giggle a
little… because cussing is bad and makes you sound unintelligent. Like
Humphreys suggests, this kind of accounting encourages better behavior and
mindset. It gets you thinking about yourself as you think about others.
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