Spoons and Technology
by Gracelyn Willard
Lately, I’ve been using technology more than ever, as I would assume most people have been. I’ve always used social media to connect with people the pandemic has simply highlighted the importance of social media in my life. My use of social media has only changed in the sense that I spend more time on it currently than before, my purpose on social media has remained the same; I want to connect with people. Instagram specifically allows me to reach out to people I’m unlikely to meet in real life. For me, Instagram is a platform I use to find and give support to and from other chronically ill individuals. I seek out the “spoonie” community and use the knowledge and words I find there to help me in my own life and to remind myself that I am not alone. A “spoonie” is a term for a person with a chronic illness and comes from this theory where everyone has a certain number of spoons for a day and each task you do cost a certain amount of spoons and once you run out of spoons you run out of energy for the day. People with chronic illness typically have fewer “spoons” than the average healthy person. And sometimes tasks cost more spoons for a chronically ill person.
I use my Instagram to document moments of my life; both the positive and the negatives. I want the people who follow me to see that it is possible to continue to live life even when your health places restrictions on you and that there are people out there that are dealing with the same shit as you. The internet helps us all find a community, but it is especially useful for individuals who have difficulty leaving their homes due to illness. Instagram, for the Spoonie community, helps to spread hope, information, and support for those who may lack those things, or who just need an extra dose some days. When the outside world can often be rude, unbelieving, and difficult to navigate for a chronically ill individual the internet is a surprisingly safe bubble at times. It is a place where stories of health can be traded without a misinformed bystander butting in asking if we’ve tried “exercising: as a solution to our health problems. Without technology or social media, I would have a difficult time maintaining a positive outlook on my life. The stories of success and healing that I find through the “Spoonie” community helps me maintain hope that I can get better one day too, and when some days the flares are too much I have a community of people who understand and who go through the same thing right at my fingertips. We watch out for each other and are always there to give support in whatever way we are able. Technology and social media have the power to bring hope and support and people together.
