Opinion
Let’s not even argue, okay? We live in a world heavily dominated by social media culture. In the digital age, online business has been a primary focus for small entrepreneurs, creatives, entertainment artists, and large corporations alike.
In the modern time, you find that even in some of the most remote locations, people are striving to create captivating content to attract attention to themselves and their offerings, with the ultimate goal of converting their audiences into loyal customers or a fan base.
From sharing stories about their fine travel experiences, to describing their meals at a luxurious high-end restaurant, and even recounting moments when they embarrassed themselves just to entertain their viewers. But we’re not judging, okay? We’re just keeping it 100 as we say. Social media has taken over the world.
With this, many people are discovering that they are more than capable of achieving things that once seemed possible only for a select and chosen few. As we evolve in the digital age and seek to find the soul tribe of people that vibe with your brand, authenticity will always be valued more than anything else.
The Vine and Authenticity in the Social Media age
Do you remember Vine? The video app that gained popularity in 2013? It was one of the first short video applications to gain worldwide popularity, quickly attracting hundreds of millions of daily viewers. Although its success was short-lived due to its uniquely outlandish content, the Vine showed us something that we would never forget.
Authenticity and lack thereof. See, Vine was a social media app that enabled users to upload short video clips that were less than 10 seconds long. Some of the funniest videos could be found uploaded on the platform. As Vine rose in popularity, the number of outrageous videos also increased. Many individuals were resorting to extreme measures in order to go viral, including dangerous or obscene stunts and gestures that led to severe harm or embarrassment.
It wasn’t long before we realized the extent to which people were willing to go to achieve their six seconds of fame. For many people, it was all worth the attention, but for some, it was a damaging experience they’ll never forget.
Authenticity is the quality of being genuine or real. Trustworthy. Unique. In the world of social media, authenticity is often completely disregarded. Instead of sharing content that demonstrates moral integrity and consideration for young people, some are willing to temporarily set aside these values until a later date, or maybe never.
The gravity and pressure of climbing the ladder cause individuals to do things that often have a negative impact on future generations. The influence of social media on younger people is significantly greater than on adults.
As the average teenager now possesses as much or more technology than previous generations, there is a growing concern about the need to be authentic and maintain moral integrity in order to have a positive impact on young people who may be observing. Since social media marketing is primarily influenced by the audience’s preferences rather than your own, the challenge lies in maintaining authenticity and not conforming to what you believe people want you to be.
Staying true to oneself and not allowing the desire for recognition to consume you to the point where you’re willing to do more than what’s absolutely necessary from a professional standpoint.
We are The Modern Time. A new generation of innovation.
