What is your intention?

I am an active user of social media, and it sometimes feels like a love-hate relationship. Social media has undoubtedly enabled me to maintain relationships with people who live far away. It has also connected me to a much larger network of individuals, some of whom I now spend time with in real life. Occasionally, I benefit from social media by finding inspiration and useful information when I'm stuck on a particular issue.

However, what drains my energy is the apparent self-promotion that seems pervasive. It often feels like a never-ending stream of "see me, see me, see me." But I recognise that this might just be my perception and not necessarily the reality.

This has led me to reflect on the concept of "intention." What is my intention when I choose to post something on social media? Am I doing this to:

• Attract the attention of people (and perhaps attract customers)?
• Establish my own brand because I unconsciously or consciously seek confirmation and/or validation or wish to construct a feeling of identity?
• "Amuse myself" by stirring up people's feelings?
• Seek validation of the "right opinions," e.g., to feel like I belong to an "in-group," such as everyone who dislikes Russia and Putin (which I don't)?

How much of what was mentioned above is actually ego-driven? How much of it stems from the need to feel like a part of a group where opinions are shared?

Or could the intention behind sharing be:

• To inspire others?
• To make other people reflect about something?
• To share knowledge that could be useful or important?
• To offer help to others?
• To gather others' opinions and engage them in discussion?

I'm aware that these intentions can also be questioned and may be masked as egocentric (e.g., wanting to inspire others because it attracts customers). It's important to be careful and critical. Additionally, we should be cautious not to assume others are sharing something purely out of egocentric motives, though patterns can become noticeable over time.

You might in fact wonder, what is the intention behind this post?

I am fully aware of my this particular intention. Often, writing things down helps me structure my thoughts, so I'm partially doing this for myself. But I also consider whether the content could be useful for others by sparking a reflection. Thus, I wish to contribute, even if it means structuring something that could be seen as provocative.

You are, of course, free to question my motives, but at the end of the day, I am aware of them. You may also question why I bother to write this in English rather than in Danish. I have chosen English because I am interested in the opinion of the greater mass, and unfortunately, they don't all speak Danish.

Perhaps it can be useful to think about the story of Socrates and the 3 sieves, as it may be helpful in eliminating some posts before they are born:

One day a man runs up to Socrates and said: "I have to tell you something about your friend who…"

"Hold on" Socrates interrupts him "About the story you're about to tell me, did you run it through the three sieves?"

The man was not familiar with the three sieves, so Socrates continued: "The first is the sieve of Truth. Are you sure that what you are going to tell me is true?"

"To be honest", the man said, "No, I just happen to overhear it".

"What about the sieve of Goodness. Will you tell me something good or positive about this man?"

The man shook his head.

"Now, what about the last sieve. Is it necessary to tell me what you're so excited about?"

When the man bowed his head in shame, Socrates smiled and said "Well, if the story you're about to tell me is neither true, good or necessary, just forget it and don't bother me with it."

A promise to myself:

I would like to develop greater consciousness about my intentions when posting on social media.

I'm not claiming that I will never post something for egocentric reasons—after all, I'm just human and that human has also an ego (something I have worked with intensely, trying to transcend this ego) —but I promise to delve deeply into my true intentions.

I also wish to become more aligned with the positive reasons for sharing (inspiring, helping, offering, etc.). This might mean that some posts will never be published because I choose to eliminate them before they are born, judging that the intention is questionable.

• Did I inspire you?
• Did I provoke you?
• Did I make you reflect?
• Did I bore you?
• Did you even bother to read this at all?