Authenticity and the Rise of Negative Cultural Norms Online
Authenticity has lost its meaning. It’s now a buzzword used to communicate trust in marketing and digital ad campaigns.
Trust me, I know what I’m doing? Marketing and social media influence
The German philosopher Fredric Nietzsche whose work transcended most of the western civilization after his death used the words “Trust Thyself” as one of his 10 life lessons. Nietzsche was a proponent of self-realization- to craft your identity without influence from cultural, social, religious, or political norms.
In 1872 he wrote the essay, Schopenhauer, as Educator part of his meditations. To “Trust Thyself” you must know who you are. This is a journey across life transitions. (More on this later). There are thousands of definitions online when you search for the word authenticity. However, I believe the philosophical opinion put forward in Existentialism is just about as real as it gets towards alignment.
Authenticity-“The degree to which a person’s actions are congruent with their beliefs and desires despite external pressures to conform”
We live in a world dominated by social media, filters, images and video content with influencers having more relevance than the organizations, sponsors, or brands they represent. The landscape has become opaque and the opportunity to chase your dreams of success brought into sharp focus due to its global reach.
The cultural shift to get online, be heard, matter, and tell the world who you are is a minefield. How can you tell who is genuine and real, and who is authentic? Let’s dive into the world of introspection and self-analysis.
What’s in your inventory?
Michael Kerris and Brian Goldman in their (2000) study on authenticity found that four key factors determine how you connect with your true self:
- Self-awareness- Knowledge of and trust in one’s motives, emotions, and preferences.
- Unbiased processing- Clarity in evaluating your strengths and your weakness without denial or blame.
- Behaviour- Acting in ways congruent with your values and needs, even when it leads to the risk of rejection or criticism.
- Relational correlation- Close relationships which inherently require openness and honesty.
When we examine the above, we are left wondering how this can occur within social media platforms. Let me expand on this further. When you go online what do you seek? Each platform is different in its messaging. Every user wants something. Or put another way, we all want to connect with others. How do you connect? The algorithm configures your preferences with every click you make.
You begin engaging with others, giving them a glimpse into your world. How? The likes, shares, retweets, tagging, and comments are there to build a community. And guess what? They are just like you. Wow, I’ve found my tribe. You begin to mirror their words, actions, opinions, and views. But wait. You start to get lost in what this means to your value system, experiences, beliefs, and how you want to live your life. How can you be authentic when the tribe (your tribe) is influencing your behavior?
What do you mean I’m fake?
Canadian Psychologist Jordan B Peterson states that:
“The last time i was truly authentic is when I urinated on my parents when a baby”
At this moment there are no external forces, pressures, or learned behaviors influencing the decision. Now as we move through life’s journey our parents, education, religion, close relationships, entertainment, societal norms, political opinions, and community in which we live all impact our values, sense of self, interests, habits, and expression.
What if you experienced childhood trauma, witnessed domestic violence, didn’t feel loved, no sense of belonging, or were placed in the care of others. How would you discover you’re identity? This requires serious introspection as you transition through life stages. Why? We can either run from the truth or find real strength in it. The process can be transformative in revealing both a negative/positive outcome.
To maintain your mental wellbeing, build self-esteem, tackle fear, and handle adversity, let’s focus on positive transformation. When you unravel a lot of these thoughts, feelings, and events that produced emotional trauma you may find a real purpose to share it.
However, you need to be mindful of how others experience their world. We all have opinions, views, and thoughts that can connect us with others. These connections can foster and build new relationships with people on the other side of the world. One of the real positives of social sharing.
They can also be destructive, manipulative, and harmful when used carelessly. What you think, feel, and speak doesn’t necessarily always align with your core. When this happens you know it. How? You feel uneasy. So why do we do it? To feel part of something. Being authentic requires real courage. Sometimes holding your tongue is required. Not authentic?
Be mindful of words?
How many times have you felt the wrath of a leader’s frustrations on your face? Can you remember how that felt? Where you with colleagues, or in their office in private? Did they do it to assist your development, or reinforce a culture of fear? Management of others demands skill, communication, empathy, and emotional intelligence. Remember what I said about being authentic? Your choice of words to whom and where is crucial.
Everyone says they’re authentic. Who is going to say they’re fake? I say what I feel, and don’t care what harm it brings. People need to deal with that. It’s who I am. How many times have you heard these words? The last president of the United States who created large-scale division and fractured the country built his presidency on not being fake.
No matter the potential for harm, hurt, or conflict he spoke first and thought second. Now, I’m not here to give an opinion on his tenure as president for two reasons. One; I’m not an American citizen. Two; well I’m not an American citizen.
The power of social media platforms drives a lot of our daily behavior. We need only reflect on the problems around racism, homelessness, economic division, elitism, class structures, crime, poverty, inequality, racism, and climate change to explore where our beliefs can be challenged.
Giving your opinion on these platforms can yield favor or create a backlash against you. Being popular is the exact opposite of authentic. Why? To become popular you need to find a balance with numerous opinions. Sounds easy. Just remain neutral. Play the game. But whose game are you playing? And where is your voice?
The path to purpose?
We have reached peak flow in our use of the word authentic during the past decade. It’s a throw-away comment with as much meaning as the person using it. This might sound a bit harsh. That’s me being authentic! But let me explain. How do you know who is real and genuine? You build a relationship with them. How can you do that online when you ask: “What would people say about you”?
“I’m authentic”
I would much rather learn about their, childhood, family, sports team, experiences and influences and make up my mind. Here lies the tripwire on social media platforms. Everyone is living their best life, Images and videos abound everywhere they go.
The filters must be utilized for maximum effect. It’s a fake world 90% of the time. People spend large swaths of their day watching what celebrities are doing and running commentary on it. Is that purpose? What happened to your dreams, aspirations, and goals? Where they too difficult to reach?
To become authentic you need to develop self-awareness. What are your weaknesses? Source and find solutions for them. Don’t hide behind them. Or worse still, find a group who all do the same.
You need to step outside the comfort zone, take risks, fail, manage challenges and discover why you’re here. Why would you spend money for someone to tell you what you already know? Or, maybe you don’t know, and require assistance.
Pause. Time to travel back to where I started. Is authenticity dead? Only you can tell what is real, and what is fake. Are you true to yourself? Or do you let others determine what life you lead? “Trust Thyself” Do not conform to societal norms that don’t align with yours. Find your centre point. Live it every day.
This story was previously published on Good Men Project-Authenticity and the Rise of Negative Cultural Norms Online — The Good Men Project
