posting as gifting

May 15, 2025 (2 days before graduation)

there is an absurdity to the Graduation Post. who is it for? why is it necessary? perhaps the Graduation Post is the proper culmination of four years of hard work, valued more than any diploma for the sheer factor that it is public-facing and recognizably human. the Graduation Post is the actual diploma. the Graduation Post is the degree. a self-induced celebration with comments and tags and photos and reposts; i wonder if everyone wishes that every post is as celebrated as a Graduation Post.

i was considering reinstalling instagram for the Graduation Post, but i almost want it to be different. the Graduation Post as a gift to others rather than a certificate of achievement like a line on a resume. a note to the loose ties i had not had an opportunity to correspond with. we see tributes on social media; those posts act as an offering to the deceased -- i wonder if ghosts can access social media -- but i seldom see a Graduation Post created in the same thankful form. (or maybe i haven't spent enough time on social media, which might be a good sign!)

should i make the Graduation Post on this blog instead?