IMPRESSIONS

IMPRESSIONS On social media and in waking life, we are put into various environments, each of which require a certain behavior. For example, if we are with close friends and family at home, we can laugh out loud and say what comes to mind without second thought. if we are at a sporting event, we want to act strong and confident to throw our opponents off-kilter. If we are in class with students we do not know, we might act more reserved as we scope out the scene. 

The same is true for internet spaces; if we are friends with older family member on facebook, we may not want to post about wild nights out or re-share that one funny meme with extreme profanity on such a public forum. That is something we should save for our camera roll alone, or maybe a “finsta”.

The point is, depending on who is watching us and where we are, our attitudes and actions change. This is essentially the idea of impression management. This is something we all do wether we realize it or not. For the vast majority of us out there, we are always seeking approval and community. This leads to us putting on a show to get those around us to accept us. But is it really us?

Some of the pitfalls and dark sides to impression management is feeling like you cannot be yourself. Sometimes we feel as though our authentic selves are not worthy to be loved by others so we hide who we are in order to be accepted by those around us. Motivations for such actions come from all over. We may want to fit in with the “cool” crowd, get hired at a new job, or avoid conflict. Whatever the motivation, pretending to be someone that you aren’t or limiting your personality on a day-to-day basis is exhausting. 

Impression management on social media is also incredibly taxing. On forums such as LinkedIn, professional and well-composed is key. People join this network to get in touch with other professionals, so in this environment, good impression management is crucial. However, on more casual social sites the line between fake and controlled is a bit blurred. On apps such as Instagram, people often go to great lengths to get the perfect picture to post. Instagram, for example, is just a highlight reel and not reality. People work so hard to fit a persona that is unachievable and nowhere near reality. So, in this case, impression management can take a negative turn.

Overall, being a human with a soul is hard. There are way too many people to impress and so little time. Impression management is necessary, but like all things must be done in moderation. Being cool or well-liked is not worth it if you stray far from yourself and don’t see YOU when you look in the mirror. However, use it to your advantage; get that job and make that money.