How bout' them social media filters?

So I was laying on the massage table getting a treatment after a day in the saddle, when our team physio asked me - “Malene, What is your aspiration with your Instagram account?”*

“Just being Malene and share my life, to inspire and let people follow what I’m up to”  
Our physio looked at me sceptically. There were more doubtful questions on its way. 
So we had a discussion about what social media is, it’s powers and fouls - which got me here, on my laptop wanting to take the discussion on my blog. Because how many thoughts do I actually have behind my accounts?

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So how are you on Instagram, when it’s your personal account, where you share pictures from your daily life as a 21y/o girl trying to figure out life - while you in the meantime is riding bikes as fast as possible, for a living, with sponsors that expects you to use your platform for promoting?

Social Media is huge in our generation. And when I talk social media - I mostly talk Instagram. I mean there are other platforms, youtube, facebook, snapchat, twitter etc. but in my eyes, IG is the biggest. Biggest as the app we spend the most time on (alongside with maybe TrainingPeaks, for the training-freaks like me ;-) ). Beside the time we spend their its also contains so much diversity. It’s for everyone. The student who posts about nightlife and studying, the employee who posts about long days in the office, the vegan who spreads the word about their plant-based lifestyle, World-leaders, body-builders, Victoria Secret models, Barista’s, Athletes and I could go on. Which therefore makes the platform one of the best places for business - cause you so easily can reach a LOT of people, and not only the ones who buy’s a certain magazine and see’s an add, but everyone with the app installed.
So how are you on Instagram, when it’s your personal account, where you share pictures from

your daily life as a 21y/o girl trying to figure out life - while you in the meantime is riding bikes as fast as possible, for a living, with sponsors that expects you to use your platform for promoting? I mean your Instagram is suddenly also a part of your job. 

Over 28.000 are following my Instagram, thats a bit. And as my physio asked - how many thoughts do I have behind my posts when I know all these people are seeing them, and it might effect them..? To be honest. Not that much. I’m just Malene. I don’t really know what else to answer. I’m not afraid to show who I am. I learned an old theory about identity in school. That we have our Super Ego (the ideal, norm, conscious) -  Ego (our understanding of ourself) - ID (unconscious) and I guess it's our conscious/aware Super Ego's that drives our public figures. So I guess we're all having some kind of thoughts behind our screens? 

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Instagram accounts are quick to show the good life. The sweet life. And as an athlete, the good life is travelling, training under the blue sky, eating healthy, improving and achieving. This was a topic we kept on coming back to on the massage table - the filtered life, #fliterneeded vs. #nofilterneeded. Because as long as we can choose what pictures we post we are filtered. I don’t see this as an issue as long as everybody is aware. Aware of the fact that we choose what we upload and therefore we’re deselecting some things.
But as he said, in the time we're living in, filtered information is a huge problem, not just on IG but in our society and politics. What is so true. So I guess I can only advice to be aware of these filters. 

Which brings me to the point, that there is so much more behind an Instagram feed. Malene is so much more than Malene_Degn’s selection of pictures. Don’t use the Instagram’s you follow to compare yourself - appreciate who you are, our human worth is not measured in likes or followers - it’s our ability to love, care, fail, rise, learn and so much more. I use IG to share, follow, laugh and get inspired to live life the fullest.

So what do I not show? 
Hmm. I think I'm always honest in my feed and in my stories, showing clips from my life and who, I at least think, I am. But there is many things I don't show, like a lot of "normal human things", last week I was spending a good amount of time with Cyprus doctors trying to get some antibiotics for an infection I had. That I didn't show ex. Now I do, oh well :-) But don’t get fooled to think that it’s always wonderful to ride for hours every day, live most of the year in a suitcase, skipping a lot of social-life and have your body as your job. It’s not always easy. But I do it because cycling brings more good things than bad (and much more). And all practical - it’s not easy to take a picture while your suffering in an interval - but way easier when you’re having a coffee stop afterwards. 
Let me show you some examples. When I’m out riding or whatever we/I often take photo’s and I choose the ones where I don't look the 'silliest' on or the one with the nicest sky etc. And then I add a filter to give them a nicer more clean look. I got sunburned this week on my hands ex. and they look so horrible now hah! It really hurts. I didn’t share this pic with you guys. I guess it’s always a balance?

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Coming back to what and why social media, I will say, I don’t use social media to impress - but to impact. I hope it can inspire other people to do what they love and allowing themselves to have dreams and be who they are. I’m a professional mountain biker but I’m also just 21 years old danish girl who loves to go out with my friends, dance, talk, kiss my boyfriend, go to the beach in my new swimsuit and all these things. But surprise surprise I'm also; getting stupid sunburns, pretty messy, not a big fan of showers, turning into a tomato-head speaking to more than 2 people, struggling with saving legs, insecure at times, having smelly cycling shoes, farting (stomaaaaach proooblem) and so much more … I'm not trying to show perfection. It’s not to be miss perfect, nobody is perfect and it’s your own power(responsibility) to know this and know how amazing, important and brave you are - know your worth and add tax :-) 

I really like social media and I hope you are in here reading this, because you like to follow me for being me :-)