Losing Authenticity

I scroll,

And it all blurs -

The same fonts,

The same phrases,

The same topics,

The same greetings:

“Hi Lovely”

“Step into your power”

“Manifest your dream life”

Yet it all feels so empty

Words once alive

Have been wrung dry

Marketed

Monetised

Dulled by repetition

Authenticity -

What a tired word

Over-used

Over hash-tagged

It once meant integrity

An alignment 

Between what we say

And who we are 

But now it’s been reduced to 

A caption

A curated confession

Recycled imitation 

Lit for engagement 

Somehow along the way, 

We’ve mistaken exposure for honesty

And sameness for belonging 

So me, 

I’m setting down the branded script

The glittered gloss

The algorithm echo 

And picking up words 

That sound like my own skin 

I no longer want to sound 

Perfect 

Or polished 

Or like everyone else 

I want to sound real 

And original 

And true

By Tanya Cameron