From “Man Crush Monday” to “Relationship Goals,” the superficial images of what life should entail can distort what it means to be your own person, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities junior Emily Elconin said.
Elconin is the creator of the Who We Are project, which features MSU students and seeks to bring individuality to social media. Elconin drew the inspiration from her experiences throughout Europe on a study abroad this past summer — she studied photography portraits in London and the experiences were so profound that it caused her to change her major, she said.
“Social media can diminish individuality,” she said.
Upon her return home, Elconin sought to transfer her newfound love for photography and genuine individual expression to those at MSU. Thus, the Who We Are project was born.
Initially, it involved close friends like Liz Martin but expanded to a larger group of students and she said she hopes to grow the project even further by the end of the semester.
Martin, an advertising junior, said she has known Elconin since her freshman year and was more than willing to help the project in its infancy.
Martin agrees that a trend toward individualism is occurring and social media is actually a catalyst for individuals to express themselves.
While certain aspects of social media portray an element of “pressure to be a certain type of person, these platforms actually thrive off individuality,” Martin said.
Martin said that Elconin’s project is doing exactly that.
“I’m using social media to my advantage,” Elconin said.
Her project and website, she said, will “empower myself and others to embrace who they are.”
During her interviews for the project, Elconin has informal chats with the individual and she said once any facade has been let down she photographs the person in their “most raw form.”
Having these colloquial conversations help people grow in their own identity, Elconin said.
She said these “candid moments” peel away any inhibitions the person has and “expresses who the person is."
