This Post is Sponsored by the DMV and My Ex Boyfriend

When I first got my full, big-girl driver's license I sent a picture of my little temporary license slip to my boyfriend-ish person. My text said "LOOK! It says 'Restrictions: NONE!'" and he said with a scoff, "Yeah, well it also says 'Endorsements: none.'"

Now keep in mind that he was a pessimistic party pooper that I really shouldn't have taken seriously (plus, endorsements on your driver's license do NOT mean the same thing as endorsements in the context I'm about to talk about, but whatevs) but that phrase has stayed in my mind ever since.

Endorse. The word has a few meanings. In a general context, to "endorse" something means to show your public approval of it. To endorse a check is to sign it and take responsibility for it (either as the payer or the payee). You can also endorse documents to acknowledge that the terms of a contract have been satisfied.

I think today, with the rise of social media, there's a new way that we endorse things. Artists, places, political candidates, companies, colleges... everything around us has condensed their definition of themselves into a page, a subheading, a photo series-- and they seek your endorsement for that collection of information. Via our likes and shares we are endorsing things constantly--putting our name on it. "Sarah Kane likes this page." It's very interesting, because I don't know that ever before humanity has been able to so efficiently "collect" things to endorse. With the internet, everything is summed up in blocks of text and photo albums, and it's all *one sided*. We are seeing what these people, creators, and companies want us to see, and giving them our stamp of approval.

I am fascinated by the way our self-image is changing with the advent of the internet and online networking. We endorse things, or don't endorse them, in a way that is so heavily tied into our self-concept. With social media, we follow, subscribe, like, share... and it's *often* so others can see an image of what WE ourselves are like. We, in a way, are signing a metaphorical check to these things when we endorse them with our likes. I guess it's the equivalent of filling your wall with posters of things you like, and sitting there looking around and feeling like "this room is so me".

You might think I'm going to end this by saying "be careful what you endorse!" but au contraire, I would actually like to say... worry less about what you endorse. Either through what images you put out there to be endorsed by others, or through what carefully crafted likes and dislikes you decided based on a 2 minute buzz-feed video or an inspiring quote that a brewery posted. Truly, and honestly, no one cares what you endorse, and it doesn't matter most of the time, because those likes and dislikes rarely carry over to real life. In my possibly wrong and slightly self-doubting opinion.

I like this topic. I could rant all day about it. If you have any thoughts please leave them below. I'm feeling ultra think-y today and just wanna mellow in my mind for a while.