Back in high school, life was all about the popularity contests. The more friends you had, the cooler you were and I wish I could say that I was one of those in the “in” crowd, but that would be a blatant lie. I was always the quiet one with my small group of (amazing) friends and that was about it. For me, social media opened new doors. It created a place for me to figure out who I was and share that with others and meet lots of amazing people that I probably couldn’t have met on my own. And then it happened…
I started seeing the “in” crowd on social media. The ones with a bajillion Twitter followers and fans on Facebook who expect you to bow to them because they are so amazing. They speak poorly about other brands on their blog because it gets them free things and, quite frankly, because they can. Cliques begin forming within groups and before you know it, what could be a very welcoming environment becomes a land of Mr. and Mrs. Cocky. It makes me sad.
If there’s anyone out there who believes in the power of social media, it is me and I will say that I’ve been tempted to think that I am more than what I am because a stranger recognizes me at an event. But I have to keep reminding myself – and reminding you – that it’s not about that. We’re still nobody more special than the person next to us trying to share their experiences. We just have been given the platform to share those experiences in a new way. And, most importantly, it doesn’t just matter that people respect you online. They have to respect you offline as well for you to have any relevance.
That’s my two cents…
Photo by Raymondgobis
