David Goggins: A Brand

As a former Navy Seal and Army Ranger, David Goggins is the epitome of a strong-minded, hard-body individual. Following his retirement from the Navy, Goggins took to social media to help share his daily routines and outlook on life, a path which has landed him 2.4 million Instagram followers and a best-selling book titled “Can’t Hurt Me.” His personal brand revolves around a life of required pain; pain, as he describes it, is necessary to form calluses — both physically and mentally. His weekly Instagram posts feature him shirtless, mid-workout, with a message to the listener about a life event he recently encountered which he may not have wanted to do, or which may have resulted in discomfort. The messages are blunt, and often times harsh as they urge the listener to truly assess the daily situations they find themselves in which make them uncomfortable and ask, “am I stronger because of the choices I’ve made?” He preaches taking the rough road over the smooth, and that we should all do something uncomfortable every day because that is how we grow.

My keyword ‘gaming’ draws immediate ties to video games which carries a specific stigma of who is partaking. Typically, people playing video games are thought to be young males — making the digital atmosphere less accepting to females who wish to join. Females who wish to partake may not feel comfortable communicating with the largely male demographic, and may choose screen names that would imply they are the opposite sex. To a casual gamer online, someone not communicating with you under the screen name ‘crazykid99’ is naturally any other crazy boy born in 1999; when in reality, it could actually be anyone, anywhere, of any age and any gender.