You see it each time you log into Facebook. Friends post their vacation photos. Parents brag on their kids. Grandparents express admiration about their grandkid’s accomplishments. It looks like everyone else is having a wonderful life while you’re stuck at home scooping out the litter box and trying to keep your toddler from tossing your iPhone in the potty.
You don’t think about it, but you do the same as everyone else. You post the best of your experiences and glow about the love you have for your teen. You don’t mention the fight the two of you have the other night because he refused to take his coat to school. Nor do you mention his atrocious calculus grade (at least you shouldn’t).
We get depressed, even jealous when we see the perfect lives of others on social media. Yet, if we peered into their lives, we would find they have just as much junk going on in their lives.
When we post something, we are making a statement about our personal brand. We post what we would like others to see about us. Sure, you have the friend that posts everything that goes wrong in her life. It is likely she has decided that her messy life is her personal brand. That is what she would like to be known for.
Social media has made us all brand marketers. We don’t post everything going on in our lives. We only post what we want others to see. It is good to remember, that is exactly what your friend in Cancun is doing too. He probably won’t be posting his enormous credit card bill from the trip when it comes due.
On social media, we post only what we want others to see. It’s a good reminder that everyone else is doing the same thing.
