catch-22

there's so much pressure out there to make a name for yourself. historically, i haven't been much of a social media fanatic. yeah, i used to be one of those annoying high school facebookers who post everything about their lives for the world to see, and sure, i have a twitter to follow things and people i deem important, but it makes me wonder -- what does this really mean to us as individuals? in order to define ourselves to the world, we have to have an online presence. (as a j-school kid, this nonsense is preached on a daily basis.) to have an online presence, we have to keep up with what's popular and hip and trendy and all that jazz. to do that, we have to conform to the social norms of the moment and obsess over what new fad might be coming next, to keep up the pretext of being "on the edge of technology."

what if our identity is to be one to not follow the crowd? or, like i often am, to be perfectly comfortable and confident in being the last to join in?

so here i am, succumbing to pressures both external and internal, several years later than my peers. i can't escape that nagging preteen girl inside me, who's begging to be in vogue, nor that pesky little thing called the economy that tells me i won't be a successful journalist without conformity. it's a catch-22: your identity to the world is damned if you conform and damned if you don't.

and no one cares about the ongoing daily happenings of the average jane doe. how do all those other bloggers out there come up with interesting stuff to say? they pick a theme: political, sports, fashion, whatever. i'm going to talk about my experiences and growth as an individual as i go through an internship at my local historical society and museum.

but more on that later. for now: my name is elizabeth cychosz. i am a journalism and anthropology major at ohio university. and i am now a blogger.