Creating the 'Ideal Self'

More likes means I’m popular, right?

Social media gives people a stage to present their lives on. It also gives individuals the power to determine what people see, the context they see it in, as well as deciding what they do not want people to see.

Basically, social media allows us to present better versions of ourselves for the world to see.

The question then arises of whether we are presenting our true selves (only enhanced) or are we creating a different online identity? It can be tempting to post specific content just to project a certain image, or because we know it will garner a lot of attention from our friends and followers. But do these likes, comments, and retweets actually create a falsesense of self and self-esteem?

Social media users today need to be careful about blurring the line between their true identity and who they present themselves as online. While it makes sense for a company to be calculating in their social media content, individuals should remain true to themselves—they should not construct a new ‘ideal self’ simply to satisfy their online audience.

Internet Fame

The days of needing an agent are gone!

Social media has made it easier to connect than ever before. It has also given people the opportunity to have a global reach with the click of a button. Sites like Twitter and YouTube make it possible for everyday people to reach high levels of stardom. For some examples, just look at 15musicians who found fame through YouTube. They posted the right content, were seen by the right people, and grew in fame exponentially.

Along with the music industry, comedy has also become easier to break into thanks to social media. Being a witty personality on Twitter, and using the right hashtags can get nearly anyone noticed. Teenager Joey Muelleris a prime example of this phenomenon. At just 19 years old, with an average background and upbringing, Joey has about 400,000 Twitter followers—that means that every tweet he posts reaches thousands of people. This fame came from simply posting the right, humorous content at the right time—something that never could have been achieved before social media.

While the path to stardom has been forever altered by sites like Facebook, life as a celebrity has also been impacted by technology. Today, anyone with an iPhone can snap paparazzi shots of celebrities. There is no longer a need for expensive equipment—just be in the right place at the right time and you could capture a valuable image. With social networking sites like Instagram, people don’t even need to negotiate with magazines or publishing agencies—they can simply share the image from their own account and reach a vast audience.

So, while the internet has made it easier for individuals to reach a level of fame, it has also made celebrity life more difficult. In an age where people want to be heard and seen through social media, it is important to weigh the pros and cons of living in the spotlight.

Consumers Trust Other Consumers

Use social media to get them talking about a brand!

 With today’s technology, it is almost expected that every brand is accessible on social media. With sites like Facebook and Twitter, companies can engage with their consumers on a more personal level. There are three main flows of communication via social media, which Marie Taillard explains below.

Brand to consumer, consumer to brand, and consumer to consumer; the last of which is arguably the most important. While brands have the power to offer support and special offers through social media, they also have the ability to monitor what consumers are saying about them. The more positive, personal messages that are shared by consumers, the more individuals will trust the brand.

In order to achieve this type of free advertising via consumers, a brand should follow four main rules in their social media content: be authentic, remain relevant, be persistent, and be consistent. This means that a brand needs to have a distinct voice across their social media platforms, but they also have to be actively listening to what their consumers are saying (and even intuitive enough to decode what consumers aren’t explicitly stating).

Consumers today expect companies to be available via social media, but many do not realize the power they hold in determining the success of a brand. Companies can harness the power of consumer to consumer communication by carefully tailoring their social media communications for their target audience.