@Brittany Natel totally agree that it’s not one single thing that defines us - we’re all multifaceted people which is what makes us all interesting. I think there are certainly times we may feel defined by or tied to one particular thing (new mom, sickness, job, online persona, a passion) - something that feels overwhelming or all encompassing at the time - but its more authentic to look at the whole picture and zoom back out to all the other pieces too!
2/3) I think being vulnerable is a hard thing and the internet makes it so much easier to avoid feeling vulnerable because you can so carefully curate what you share. I like that people are sharing more of the ugly / messy / hard parts of life these days! There’s still a lot of room to grow there and at the end of the day I think people have to (or at least I have to) be comfortable and confident in themselves off of the internet first or else it’s impossible not to get tied up in all of the nonsense and constant comparison. And to your point on keeping certain things hidden - so relevant because hiding behind a screen gives people a scary sense of self righteousness and the internet can turn into an ugly place. In real life/ in person I think people are better at starting from a place of compassion. It’s definitely easier to connect to a person than a profile.