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Something I am overthinking
Amy22
Posts: 4,017 Community Veteran
This might be stupid of me to ask but I am overthinking about the people that I follow on Instagram. Recently I had to unfollow someone because of views actually being bad and I could no longer support them. Recently I have been following two accounts but the influencer I follow are slightly younger than me. Is it okay if they are younger than me and I follow them on social media?. Also one of the neurodiverse followers I view has a puzzle piece as their logo and I just felt that it was outdated. I don't know maybe I am just overthinking again. I think the account is run by their parents maybe and they have used the symbol.
Just a person who likes pop culture and films
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Finding people with similar lived experiences, even if they're younger, can be super validating. They might be tackling things from a slightly different angle, but having that shared understanding can be really powerful.
@Amy22 I think you're fine to follow people younger than you especially where it seems like quite a small age gap
I also wouldn't stress too much about the puzzle piece logo as it seems to be a personal choice for individuals who are neurodivergent but I do agree that most tend to gravitate towards the infinity symbol due to having better associations and a relatively clear history unlike the puzzle piece. Unfortunately the puzzle piece is very well known globally which might explain why people use it or they might resonate it for different reasons than its original meaning. They may also not be educated on the history and the symbolism it has had - I have had this experience where I have informed a department in my college when they had used a banner with it for autism acceptance week, and they didn't know about the history and were grateful for being told about it. If it makes you uncomfortable I don't think it's wrong of you to unfollow them, but I just wanted to give some insight into why some people may use it instead, as it isn't always out of malice.
It's okay to unfollow people, you don't always need a reason for it or to justify it, I think in your case initially finding out that someone you follow that doesn't align with your views might have triggered a lot of anxiety about other people that you are following
I just wanted to highlight this because I think it's important to notice how feelings show up in our thoughts and behaviours, even when we don't always want them to
The people that you follow doesn't necessarily reflect your views or values so I would try not to worry about it too much but I understand why this seems to be something that is quite distressing for you
Thank you @ella
Aw thank you so much @lunarcat522 I just felt bad about unfollowing because they seemed like a great person and maybe they is how they want to identity through that symbol. I just tend to gravitate more to the infinity symbol more because it feels universal and more better too than the puzzle piece. Thanks again I really appreciate it @Ella and @lunarcat522