5 Ways Social Media Impacts Your Personal Image

By Sean Thomas - October 14th, 2019

We live in a world dominated by social media. From the glory days of Myspace to the modern-day marvels of Twitter and Tik Tok, being on social media has been a driving force in expanding your “circle of influence”. Rather you choose to use social media platforms for business or pleasure, here are five reasons I believe social media is an important factor in creating personal image.

1. HONEST PERSONAL BRANDING

Often, I feel that many individuals utilize social media as a pretense to the individuals they truly are. Seeing one person’s lifestyle on Facebook or Instagram doesn’t always depict who that individual is. I value those who show their true selves on social media as they would in person. The person you advertise yourself as on social media reflects on who you are as an individual. Your brand starts with showing your “true colors”, and false presentation on social media can reflect poorly on your brand. By being true to yourself, you are being true to others!

2. #FreeAdvertisement

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, Vine (RIP), Linkedin, et cetera. Each of these social platforms is free to download and free to create an account. Sure, you can pay for advertisements, but the cost of a hashtag is free. Hitting the right hashtag at the right time can bring you tons of followers and attention to your social media page.

3. Global Connections

Speaking of hashtags, the utilization of an appropriate hashtag can connect you to individuals around the world. A fitness page in Texas can use the hashtag #motivation and can be seen and shared by a fitness page in the UK. Making connections like these are an incredible way to make new friends and connect to like-minded individuals from all over the globe.

4. A Place of Expression

There are many negative features associated with social media, such as cyberbullying. This has led to platforms like Instagram to test hiding ‘Likes’ on posts. I do believe this creates a healthier social media environment for individuals. The most important factor here is that individuals will be able to grow their brand by their content versus how many likes their page or posts receive. Fearless expression helps promote an honest image of yourself to your followers.

5. Career Networking

I often say that the world revolves around the idea that it’s not always about what you know, but rather who you know. Connecting on social media with individuals who have similar interests, both in hobby and career, can be extremely beneficial to those out on the job hunt. If your hobbies involve “turning up”, it may be better to leave those posts in your phone gallery.

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