I Used to Fear Context Collapse

But I don't anymore! Ok, just kidding. I definitely do. I've always worried that if I were to have a proper dinner party, it would be the wildest mix of people and I'm not totally sure they would all get along. It's nice to have a term that captures what this feeling really is. But on my socials, I don't have that fear anymore because I have deleted a lot of people, and I won't accept requests from people who would make me feel like I have to limit my personality or my personal beliefs. I was just doing some Googling on context collapse, and I found this article from Rewire, and I really resonated with this section:

"Paring down your network is a way to fight against context collapse and the sense of loneliness we           get from being online. You'll feel more comfortable expressing yourself if you know who your        followers are." 

And for me, that is so true. I'm not interested in being Facebook friends with distant cousin whom I have no personal relationship with if it means that I have to be in a position of filtering myself to not step on her toes. Is this true for anyone else? 

Comments

  1. Melanie YurewitchJune 2, 2022 at 6:57 PM

    Ohh wow. So that's the word for when you can't just invite all your friends over in fear that not everyone will be along. haha. I totally get where you are coming from. This is why I keep my social media accounts private and don't let students add me until after they have graduated. Then I feel like I can't be my authentic self. As a more recent example. I made my Instagram public so I could have a shot at winning a giveaway. I also had taken my maternity photos. Which was me in a milk bath with flowers. One of my students saw it and they were "weirded out" by seeing me in a tub with milk. Haha.

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    Replies
    1. Rachel WellmanJune 4, 2022 at 9:40 PM

      That's how I've always been with my social media. After being in the classroom for so long, I felt like I had to fiercely protect my socials from my students, because they were always trying to find me there. Even now that all the ones I have taught are graduated, I still feel weird accepting some of their friend requests. On Facebook, you can't find me by searching, and my Instagram is set to private (I created a public facing one for this account). I so feel for you with that student who was "weirded out" lol. It's like, come on, kiddo, why are you weirdly bringing it up?!

      Delete
  2. Sarah StraughnJune 3, 2022 at 8:02 AM

    I don't know if I've ever known that this is what that feeling is called. I feel this moreso on Instagram than anywhere else. That's where most of my content is put out. I think that context collapse is how celebrities get into the habit of filtering their content and making sure that it is curated enough that it appeals to the strangers that follow them on these social media sites. It's also why we often hear them say that social media is such a drain on them mentally, because they know that no matter what they post, someone, somewhere is going to have something negative to say.

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    1. Rachel WellmanJune 4, 2022 at 9:45 PM

      That's a really good point. I think you're right about there being a relationship between context collapse and social media burnout. It's like, when you're forced into a position of having to so carefully curate everything you're posting, you're not "authentically" engaging anymore, so of course that's going to lead to burn out. No wonder so many of them hire social media managers!

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  3. Omer ArslanJune 6, 2022 at 1:09 PM

    Context collapse is such a fascinating concept. It's so interesting to see that how we as people navigate and manage our selves across contexts. I still have issues with context collapse and I sure do exclude certain people from my network so that I don't experience context collapse.

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