The Dark Edit

Stories, culture, design, and life online through my lens.

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I’ve always been fascinated by how fashion businesses create stories and build communities. This fascination inspired me to get a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from SUNY Cortland and is now fueling my pursuit of a Master’s degree in Interactive Media and Communications at Quinnipiac. My goal is to become a Social Media Manager, where I can create intriguing digital storylines for a fashion company. I’m excited to master the abilities required for this program to help bring that vision to life. This blog will serve as an outlet for me to reflect, practice new skills, assess industry trends, and analyze the subjects we cover in class.

Looking Through My Versions: An Overview of the Topics I Have Been Writing About

December 7, 2025

I have been writing a longer post lately about a topic that has been on my mind for years: how social media subtly influences the self-perception of young women and girls. Not in the stereotypical “social media is terrible” sense, but rather in the realistic, messy, intimate way that the majority of us encounter it.

One of those late-night scrolls that leaves you half awake and half captivated is how it all began. The photo dumps appear effortlessly disorganized. The “no makeup makeup” looks, which undoubtedly required forty-five minutes. I was left wondering by the sobbing selfies, the supposedly intimate “close friends” posts, and the flawlessly flawed mirror images.

Are we acting out a version of ourselves for the algorithm, or are we expressing ourselves online?

In a lengthy piece I am about to publish shortly, I have been analyzing that question. It delves into topics that young women seldom discuss aloud, such as comparison, filters, the need to be relatable, and the emotional balancing act involved in continuously creating a digital persona.

I wanted to make a few teasers that fit the vibe of each platform before it goes online. They are not really promotions, but rather little representations of the larger concepts I am investigating.

Instagram Teaser

This teaser is not “technical,” but rather gentle, sympathetic, and visually appealing because Instagram relies on both emotion and aesthetics. It talks about identity, girlhood, and the hyper-curated feeling that we can all relate to.
Instead of lecturing, this version aims to make individuals feel seen.

X Teaser

X moves quickly. People scroll rapidly. The best posts are frank, incisive, and a little too real, like ideas that come to you at one in the morning. This rendition makes use of that energy.

Linkedln Teaser

On LinkedIn, I searched for something grounded and meaningful. The tone is more thoughtful than sensitive, yet it remains honest. It frames the matter as a cultural and digital communication issue, rather than a personal rant, which is consistent with how people consume information on that platform.
A More Personal Reflection

Writing this post made me realize how many distinct versions of myself exist online. There is the polished me, the hilarious me, the “close friends” me, the vulnerable me who only writes on certain days, and the version I do not share at all because it seems too raw.

And I know I am not alone, so many young women have the burden of constantly being watched, compared, and filtered. It is tiring but not in the way you would expect.

The more I research this topic, the more I discover that authenticity online does not imply being entirely unfiltered. It is about finding some form of harmony between who we are and who we appear, even if the two do not exactly match.

I am excited (and slightly nervous) to upload the entire work shortly. It has an honest vibe to it. It feels personal. And it seems like something many of us have been silently navigating.

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