Welcome Everyone! Hi, Hello, Howdy!

My name is Brooke Martin-Anderson. I’m new here. I’ve never had a blog; I’m not even much of a “sharer” on social media. The sites and applications I most often visit during a typical day include work applications, such as digital platforms accessed through Chrome or Edge as a web browser. I often switch between a laptop and a desktop computer throughout my day, depending on the tasks I’m performing. In my personal downtime, I tend to use different social media applications such as Instagram, Reddit, and TikTok. I like looking at what friends and family are doing around the world. I have family who lives here and in different countries, so it’s nice to keep up with connections even when there’s a difference in time and space. I like to check out TikTok for entertainment and to find recipes for things I haven’t tried before. I have a family, and sometimes mixing up daily dinners can be fun! I like to have the kids get involved in the cooking process, so finding different ways to explore is refreshing.

Manly, my experiences with social media have been positive. I believe this is probably because I don’t share too much of my personal life. I stepped back about 6 years ago, when my kids were getting older and my daughter was looking to social media as a mirror. I feel that social media can be positive; however, it needs a caution sign attached. The negative side is that I’ve never seen someone “post” a video or a photo that they truly feel was unpleasant. People tend to show the side of themselves that isn’t a true reflection. Like a mirror, you can only see the side you’re looking at; you can’t see behind without another mirror. Most people don’t have two mirrors on them when they are on social media. I want my children to find beauty in themselves, not have the world define it for them. I want my children to think, come up with ideas individually, raw and unfiltered, but the world is full of filters. With the filters, we fail to see the truth and what is beautiful.   There are some days I wouldn’t mind seeing things run a little slower, pacing ourselves, and not having our children want to grow up so quickly. Just live life in the moment. I can see that the advancements in social media, the community, and the connections are priceless. Humans thrive on connection with one another. It’s the judgment that I have a hard time with. Can we have one without the other? I’m unsure. Maybe one day.

— Brooke Martin-Anderson