WHO ARE YOU ON SOCIAL MEDIA SITES?

August 28th, 2013 | Author: Leil Lowndes

Are you the “real” you on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others? Or are you the person you want the world perceive? Or perhaps the person you hope to become? And here are the relevant questions: Is it crucial that you really be the person the world sees. Or is it better to present the person you want to be to help you grow into becoming that ideal person? In other words, "Is there anything wrong with NOT being the 'real you' online?".

Academicians and serious researchers have started pondering, presuming, and postulating on this and other vital question which are changing the way the world communicates and even thinks. Their studies are discovering that most people's online self-presentations are a mixture of all three: 1) Real self 2) Desired self, and 3) Developing self.

By the way, if you don’t know the answer to the question, “Who is the REAL me?” not to worry. Few of us do and people have been scratching their heads over that question since the beginning of time. In my teen years, I was especially obsessed with it. In my naivte, I thought my beloved grandmother would have the answer. When I asked her, she smiled and, in her sweet crackling old voice, responded:  "Leilie, you are who you think others think you are.”

At the time, I thought it was a cop-out. But her response stuck with me my entire life and now, in one sense I think she was right—especially today when have the flexibility to present ourselves online as we wish. But it all comes with a tiny skull & crossbones which I’ll present in other blogs.



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