In the digital world, I consider myself whoever I want to be. If I want to be an author who writes about her travels and the people she has met along the way, then I could be an author. If I want to be an influencer who recommends what’s old and what’s new in the beauty line, I could be that too.
If I want people to know me as an artist or even a foodie, that could be possible as well. All it takes is a little digital pixie dust on your social platform, and BOOM you’re an author, influencer, artist and food lover at one go!
Relatively, I found my freedom within a digital platform too. The arrival of Facebook which took over Friendster for the “top social media platform” position, had made the biggest impact on most Malaysian teenagers including myself approximately ten years back. While most of my peers got into the social bandwagon quite immediately, truth-to-be-told I was a little skeptical at first.
I used to be concerned about my safety online. I mean, we do hear stories of how information gets exploited and dangerous scenarios arise due to these platforms. Regardless, I got a new account a few months later to keep myself updated to my circle’s interactions online which were after schooling hours. Having set my profile with basic privacy settings, I finally made myself a safe little platform on cyberspace to view, post, comment and share content with my friends.
And over the years, I even took the time to expand my digital exposure by opening relatively new social accounts like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and many more. By signing up for new social platforms, I noticed how these platforms carried more latest updates on features and content which indirectly contributed to my digital skills and lifestyle as well.
Think about it…by having social media platforms, we are actually given the opportunity to watch hundreds of TV shows for free of cost. We come across advertisements which indirectly contributes to our industry’s economy. We are able to view creative content and ideas by following 50-100 influencers in social media itself. We are also given thousands of options when we shop online with endless amount of time! What more could we ask for..
So, if someone were to ask what is digital to me? I would say digital means a choice for change. It involves a massive self transformation, starting with your mindset and ending with your lifestyle patterns. Simply put, it is created to add value to our lives through technology. And by embracing it, we are given more opportunities to explore our skills within us and become a productive hybrid, to suit the future digital age.