Tips for posting about your cancerous life on social media
1. Use a different version of your name. Be mindful that you will want to get a job one day when cancer is not the number one thing controlling your life. I use my maiden name for private social media.
2. Look at posts as a way of educating others-not bitching or whining that life sucks. Posts on FB don’t disappear. I might be so pissed off and knee-deep in pain and if I post something about it I will regret it when I am having a good day. Your friends and family know cancer sucks! No one likes those that post about how shitty their lives are. You can one-up them in your head.
3. Don’t overload with specifics. People do keep up to date with your status- but don’t need all the specifics. Use CaringBridge for the folks that want more information.
4. Change your privacy settings!!! You’re not living that old life of drinking and partying or whatever. A new normal has set in. This is a good time to take the time to go through the 1000+ pics and albums from college that probably shouldn’t be visible anymore.
5. Blogging can be therapeutic. Reading and scanning blogs of others dealing with cancer can be the most authentic accounts of real lives affected by cancer.
6. Getting familiar with social media and what and when to post is a skill desirable by future employers. Keep in mind that you can be discriminated against. No one can deny that this happens. Keep your cancerous life private or under a different name. I’m lucky… I got married and have a new name!
In our 20s we have aspirations and dreams of high value careers, finding love, and jet-setting to the ends of the earth. Okay, those were my dreams. My Facebook resembled all of these things. I posted pictures of my travels, I updated my education with the degree I was seeking, and I updated relationship statuses reflecting my love life. I was young, careless, and thought people cared.
Turns out I am still young, careless, and think people care. I just care a little more about who my friends are, what my privacy settings are, and who can converse with me.
Happy social media’ing.