We, the editorial staff of The East Carolinian, believe there has been a heavy focus on personal branding. Whether it’s authenticity, or “lying” to appeal to an audience, personal branding has become the main focus for influencers. It is important to weave out the frauds before we start investing into manipulative creators and their content.
Have you noticed that almost everyone you know has their own personal social media account? That means they are more than likely media literate and have the ability to get what they want through portraying themselves as someone they are not.
It is important as a consumer to watch out for what is real and what isn’t, especially when we are so impressionable to what we view online. You should invest your time into content creators who value their platform, considering most of them create generational wealth for themselves through this.
Through the years of social media, at some point authenticity got lost. Stay clear of content that leaves you with an uneasy feeling, or makes you question whether or not the individual is being genuine with you. It is not uncommon for people in this field to want one thing, and one thing only. A paycheck.
This fact causes you to think—“Is this product really worth it, or is it just another ad?” or “Does this person actually live the lifestyle they’re showing us?
Now we want something we were never given before. Content that is raw, unfiltered, barely touched by an editor. This new form of content isn’t the polished, perfectly cut and heavily edited videos we grew up watching. This gravitational pull towards motivational, spiritual, and lifestyle content proves that. People want to feel connected, not “convinced”.
Of course, even this new content isn’t immune to inauthenticity, which makes it even more important for audiences to hold creators accountable. With this new change on the horizon, consumers will be keeping a better eye out for the “masks” creators typically wear. We’re already seeing viewers move away from “influencers” and toward people who actually influence in meaningful, positive ways.
At the end of the day, it comes down to you.
