May 22, 2015 : Tayo Elegbede
Tayo Elegbede
Social networking sites are fast becoming an indispensable work cum playground for both digital natives and migrants.
The growing popularity of social
networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and a host of
others; provides individuals and organisations a new opportunity to
create, define and communicate values, digital and social culture to the
virtual world. This opportunity can be seized largely through little,
yet consequential actions like profile bios and display pictures, page
and post likes, comments and posts, tone and frequency of conversations,
choice of words, interests and perspectives among other social media
activities.
Social media activities are an expression
of both personal and social identity. They are a reflection of real
life, exposing the values and interests of the user, with the potential
to either make or mar reputation, influence interaction and network
building. These effects are applicable to both individual and
organisation profiles.
The growth of social networks and users,
particularly in Africa, gives rise to a new domain of concern for
experts and users alike. This concern borders on the seemingly
widespread abuse of social media with a prevalence of vices, such as
digital identity theft, cyber bullying and online vulgarity. Hence, the
need for noble online adventurers to define their personality, style and
values in sync with their offline relevance.
So, does your post on social media reveal more about your personality?
Well, the answer is yes. While it all
feels random, what you like and what you post says more about you than
you think or will consider at the spur of the moment. Social media
engagement is not just an expression of your personal interests or your
idealised self; it is like a transparent windowpane into your
personality. For instance, if your regular social posts border on brands
and marketing, it will not be out of place to conclude that you have an
interest in branding and communications, thereby, giving me an idea of
your professional interest and aspects of your personality. In 2013,
Justine Sacco, a New York based PR agent, was fired by her company for
posting a tweet calculated to be a racist thought. Sacco had tweeted
about embarking on a trip to South Africa to visit her family with the
optimism that she will not contract the dreaded HIV and AIDs. “Going to
Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” Sacco tweeted.
While on-board the airplane, little did
Sacco realise that her ‘kidding’ tweet had gone viral and she had become
perhaps the most scolded person for a racist tweet. The fall-out of the
tweet was a sack.
In the many revelations that followed
Sacco’s predicament, it was learnt, that she had continually engaged in
such racist comments but met no viral reaction from the social media
networks and communities she belonged to.
Similarly, a friend, only two weeks back,
narrated the scenario of her cousin who had just been given an
internship opportunity in a US-based engineering firm, though this was
not her company of choice. Taking to her Facebook page, she expressed
appreciation for the offer, yet, wished she got the placement in her
company of choice. Unfortunately, the offering company looked through
her Facebook page and read comment, which led to the withdrawal of the
internship offer. In Tanzania, a picture of two police officers kissing
in the public while in uniform went viral online. The officers were
eventually sacked on the grounds of breaching the police code of
conduct.
Conversely, a good number of individuals
have leveraged social media to reach out to potential employers,
contractors, scholarship institutions, donor agents and partners, with
many, a success story to tell.
While it is only normal to express
feelings, thoughts and opinions via social accounts, it is also vital
that these expressions are responsible and sensitive to the parties
involved. Apparently, your social media accounts are your personal space
for social adventure; hence, you have the prerogative to decide what
goes up on them. However, the caution is to reflect the real you, while
evaluating the impact and consequences for each action and inaction.
The personality blend: Offline or online?
Tracking digital identities and mapping
them with real life identities is gradually becoming a daunting
challenge. This was put into cognisance at the 2014 Social Media Africa
Summit. The concerns revolved around whether or not social media users
should maintain their already established offline personality, online,
or create a new personality for their ‘online adventure’.
Social media is as important as real
life; hence, individual and organisation online personality traits
should rub and feed off offline personality traits. The suggestion is
that there should not be separate rules of engagement and personality
expression for online and offline interactions.
The social media is not an exclusive
feature, as it is not an end, rather, a means to an end of everything
social and offline. Therefore, synchronising your offline and online
personalities makes your interaction deeper, broader and more humane,
while helping the world solve the digital identity war.
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All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
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