Social Authenticity: Are You Who We Think You Are?

Nov 10, 2011

 
 
Any semi-NFL football fan can likely remember the famous Dennis Green rant of 2006 after his Arizona Cardinals gave up a massive lead over the Chicago Bears. Most “Quotably…”

“They are who we thought they were…and we let ‘em off the hook”

If for some reason you can’t remember, here is a highlight reel…

 
In the Social World we all think we know each other as well. We say hello in passing, we share each others content, and we float out promotion and niceties at break neck speed. Begging the question…

ARE YOU WHO WE THINK YOU ARE?

I have been around for merely the past 30 years, I have been to a ton of trade shows, networking events, as well as social outings. I have to say, I have never been in a crowd that is as outwardly kind as the crowds that you find on Social Media platforms. It is great to see these outward acts of kindness, but it definitely makes me wonder about its authenticity.

You will find articles, blogs, and rhetoric that is rampant around the idea of being authentic; the genuine article. After all, your online personality reflects one dimension of who you are. And since we will never meet many of the people we meet in the social sphere, we have to almost entirely trust our instincts. Having said that, I have met many people offline after meeting them first online and the results have been mixed. Some people I meet and I am amazed that they are EXACTLY the same on and offline. Others I am stunned at how different they are. Sometimes for good, and other times not so much.

There is a leading maxim that states “You think you see through others so clearly, What makes you think they cannot see through you?”

Case in point, we are going to go along with the you that we perceive. We will build a relationship based on that. If your goal is to build lasting and meaningful relationships in Social Media the same as in real life, it is important to be the real you. If you are not, we will figure it out soon enough and any relationships built will suffer.

Bottom line, be who you are, not who you think you should be. There is of course the need to be a good digital citizen. The sandbox that is social media is large and full of many people. However, this doesn’t mean you should fake it. Just like cream rising to the top, the fake filter out the bottom. Therefore, there is nothing long term to be gained from it.

Remember, it isn’t about us as the outsider peering in. The question here is about the insider peering out. How real is your online persona?