I heard a part of an advertisement the other day, don't remember for what, that started with the line “in this increasingly isolated world in which we live in”, and then it went on to talk about the authentic connection that this company provided its customers as a selling point to stand above their competitors. This statement that was given to be axiomatic, got me thinking about whether this is true or not. Indeed, some will speak of the increase opportunity that we have to be connected, while others will lament the poverty of that connection. It is somewhat confusing and difficult to know if we are more or less connected than we use to be, and what kinds of relationships will grow out of these shifts away from the traditional, will bring from a longitudinal perspective.
So it occurred to me that we may have had less occasion to communicate and interact with others, but perhaps the quality of that communication was higher. But then again is that true?
So what is the complaint? Through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, we present the aspects of ourselves that we want others to see. We typically post pictures of ourselves that cast us in the best light and we tend to try to work in the latest toy that we have acquired or the trendy place that we have attended. I know a few people on Facebook that are sickeningly given to this type of behaviour, so much so that effect is reversed and one is left with the embarrassment that they should feel at their boastful advertisements of shallowness.
While there is no doubt that there are a very large number of people given to this unbridled narcism, the evolution of these platforms are starting to see a new phase in their development. Just like web 1.0 was a failure because this new medium of communication was applied with the old model of one sided content creation to be inflicted on users in the same way that television is, so to we are seeing an increased reaction against the superficial aspects of Web 2.0. That is, the reaction is one against inauthentic portrayals of ones’ own life. I suspect that part of the feeling that “we are more connected, we are also more isolated”, comes from the quality of the interaction being diminished by the manner in which portray ourselves. It seems to me that while the user of social media platforms expects a certain production value in the depiction of our lives (good quality video/photos, good sound), they would rather see a behind the scenes as opposed to the lights camera action portion of the story that we present.
We all know that people don't live the glamorous life that they try and demonstrate to the outside world, and when we see nothing but that in their public profiles, we immediately start seeing that person as dishonest and untrustworthy. After all, how much can you trust a person that always appears to be perfect when we know that no one is.
I guess that if we look at it like that, this is also one of the reasons that people react against the relationships that we are building through social media. Meaning, if we are not careful about what we post and how we post it, there is a potential for people to see us in a manner that is more honest than we would like.
The face-to-face relationship of many years ago, who's passing is one that so many people lament, may have been more dishonest than the digital relationship that we have today. Think about it like this; you went to your friends house and you smiled and made polite conversation, standing there wearing your best clothes, and ensuring that for those few hours you were on your best behaviour. This made it so that your friends only ever saw that one part of you. This is inauthentic.
I guess that the new status quo, forces you to either always be pretending to be someone else, or forces you to live up to the person that you claim to be, at least part of the time.
And this, I think has implications for work and business. The demand for authenticity will soon spell the end of the public relations industry; an industry that is primarily geared to promoting and maintaining an image, or a brand for businesses, by casting these companies in a positive light and spinning negative attention into positive. This is the equivalent of a person with a receding hairline claiming that they are not, in fact going bald, but rather they are growing more face.
With this increased visibility that we have of the people that make up an organisation, we are more and more likely to get a feel for the cultures that their organisations hold. And when these cultures do not line up with their espoused values, those consumers who are purchasing an image and expressing an ideology, will not use these companies as their medium.
There is a change we are expecting to see as conscientious consumers and producers. It seems to me that the shareholders of the near future are not just concerned with their stock prices going up, but also with how those ends are achieved. That is the ends no longer justify the means. Most people will choose the ethically traded coffee over those that we know have been obtained through the exploitation of the poor, even if it costs us a few dollars more. But if you claim to be an ethical company, I don't know of any companies that claim to be unethical in their practices, you better live up to the claim or you will lose, and lose big.
Social media is ultimately a market place, the commodities that are on sale are you and/or companies that trade in the public sphere, and the commodity price is based on social capital. This means trust. Monetary transactions have always required an element of trust, and risk has always been an inherent part of doing business. Your authenticity and consistency is something that takes the perceived risk of doing business with you out to a greater degree than was ever possible. The implication here is that now and increasingly in the future, a social media presence is essential. But this presence cannot be a crafted and clinical look at you. It needs to be geared towards a presentation of you that would normally be reserved for an autobiography intended for a posthumous publication.
Thank you very much for reading, I will catch you again soon.
-Rod Peredo - SOCM Services
Watch the video to this post at: https://youtu.be/onerMxeSAwY
