Social Media: Does Social Media Make It Easy For Someone To Create The Impression That They Are A Good Person?

If someone wanted to display their personality in the past, it would have been necessary for them to be around others. However, in today’s world this is no longer the case, and this is primarily due to social media.

It is now possible for one to display their personality no matter where they are or what they are doing. Therefore, it can be normal for one to be on show at all times, and the only way this will change is if they deactivate their account.

It’s Always There

But even if they were to leave their account online and not to share anything, it can still have an effect on how people view them. What this comes down to is that what they have shared in the past won’t simply disappear.

One could then leave their account and their ‘friends’ and family can still look over what they have shared in the past. If one has a problem with this, it could show that what they have shared no longer reflects them.

Up to Date

Fortunately, as it is so easy for one to keep their profile up to date, they won’t need to be on it all the time in order to create the right impression. This is something that can take place through uploading images, sharing their views and they can even upload videos of themselves.

Therefore, they have complete control over how other people will view them, and this is likely to give them a sense of control. Unlike in the real world, one has the time to think about what they will share and what they won’t

Pressure

If one was around others, they are unlikely to have as much time to think about how they will behave or what they will say. Along with this, they won’t have the kinds of things that are available online to influence others.

Ultimately, one will have far less control in the real than they do online, and this could be something that they are able to accept. Alternatively, one could find that using social media makes it harder for them to function in the real world.

It Easier

What can’t be overlooked about social media is how easy it is to not only display their personality, but to display a personality that doesn’t match up with their own. One can have a profile that reflects who they are, or they can have one that reflects who they want to be.

If the latter takes place, it might only be a matter of time before they are able to step into the person they portray themselves as online. At the same time, the image they have created could be completely out of their reach.

A Big Surprise

The people they meet in the real world are then going to be in for a shock if they are ‘friends’ with them online. When they meet them, it could be as if they are meeting someone else and not the person they have been hearing about.

As a result of this, it could be a challenge for them to experience real connections with others. They are going to be out of touch with themselves and so it won’t be possible for other people to connect to them.

Loneliness

This is then an example of how someone can end up feeling isolated from others through using social media. But it is not that social media is to blame, it is that they are using it in such a way that they are hiding their true-self

The false-self that they have created is then what is causing them to suffer, as opposed to the fact they are using social media. It could be said that it is neither good nor bad; it all depends on how it is used.

False-Self

When one creates a false-self online, it is likely to mean that just about everything they share doesn’t match up with who they are. This could involve editing their pictures, talking about things that are not true and ‘liking’ different pages that don’t really interest them.

The time they spend online is then going to be used to create the right image, and this will show that they are more concerned with pleasing others than they are with pleasing themselves.  If they don’t get the approval that they feel they need, they could end up feeling extremely low.

One Purpose

Yet while one could have the need to create the perfect image, they might not even go this far. Instead, they could simply focus on one area, and this can mean that they will use social media to be seen in a certain way.

Perhaps one has the need to be seen as funny or as some kind of entertainer, for instance, or they may want to be seen as attractive and desirable. In the first case, one could upload funny videos and in the second, they could continually upload ‘selfies’ and pictures of their body.

Virtue Signalling

On the other hand, they could have the desire to be seen as a ‘good’ person, and this is not going to take a lot of effort. They could share articles and videos that talk about the environment, animals, and people who are homeless, amongst other things.

This can then cause other people to come to the conclusion that this is someone who has a big heart and that they are making a difference on this planet. And while what they share online could be backed up with what they do in the real world, it might not be.

Conclusion

What they share online could just be another way for them to gain approval, and when it comes to the real world, they might be someone who causes all kinds of damage.  The kinds of things they share online could then be a way for them to compensate.
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Now, there is also the chance that what one shares online does reflect the kind of person they are in the real world. What this emphasises is how easy it is for someone to deceive other people online.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk/