It doesn’t matter what form of social media you’re using. Odds are good that you’ve got your screen name and a picture (hopefully of you) right there next to everything you say online. Post poorly spelled, inflammatory drivel (like most YouTube comments) and the rest of the world will think you’re an idiot. Rightly so, I might add.
Your words are your message. Your message is your reputation.
Jeremy Meyers recently posed a question on Twitter asking if anyone watched what they said on Twitter because they were on Twitter. I’ve actually been wondering the same thing myself. You see, I’m a car guy. For every hour I might spend on SalesPractice, I spend six hours on automotive sites. I make annual trips to get together with my car buddies where we all get drunk and, admittedly, curse like sailors. Four letters words are a regular part of the grease monkey vernacular. If you’ve ever caught a box wrench in the face while lying under a car, you understand.
It used to be that we all enjoyed a sort of relative anonymity on the web. We could speak our minds without fear of getting in trouble - the internet was more like a video game than real life. Then we discovered that we might actually want the recognition for being those free thinkers who aren’t afraid to tell it like it is - the internet has become another dimension of our existence. We began to see our presence on the web much like our personal brand. This is not a game. There is no reset button.
“Holy shit. That was awesome.”
Imagine a commercial for a new, top-of-the-line Ford Mustang GT. The city streets are empty, you can’t see the tops of the buildings, there’s a rumble off in the distance, and two guys are paused at the corner, staring at a “DON’T WALK” sign. Again, there’s no cars anywhere. The noise in the background is getting louder. Guys are still looking at the “DON’T WALK” sign. It’s a lunch light and they’re thinking of jaywalking. Just then, a sinister, black on black Mustang flies into view and must be doing 40mph as it drifts around the corner just inches from our average Joes, engine straining against the rev limiter, rear tires billowing impenetrable white smoke everywhere before straightening out and vanishing into the distance. The guys on the corner, completely shocked, can only mutter, “Holy shit” back and forth at each other half a dozen or so times apiece, before both saying, in unison, “That was awesome.”
You’d never see that commercial. Why not? That’s how your typical Mustang GT owner/enthusiast would react. That’s reality. People who shell out for thirsty, modular-V8-powered, poor-handling staples of Americana like that cuss. Really. They do. Broadcasting regulations aside, we’re all concerned about how we present ourselves online these days. So why do some of us feel the need to show restraint in our choice of words online?
So why do we do it, then?
I make a point of telling friends in relationships that they need to invest fully from the getgo; no holding back. Why pretend to be something you are not or hold anything back? You cheapen the experience for yourself by doing so. Happiness should not come at a cost. Be yourself! But are we trying to be something we are not by watching our language online? Are we showing respect to others by not being not just being ourselves? Or are we seeing value in being part of something bigger than ourselves, simply trying to fit in better with those with whom we wish to associate as part of our inherent need to socialize?