Is Social media taking over your life?

Social Media seems to have taken over our lives (at least for some of us anyway!) – think of pretty much any situation and you will often see people frantically Tweeting or updating their Facebook status on every point of interest, sharing it with online friends and contacts. There are those that cast a cynical eye over the phenomenon of course, Charlie Brooker’s excellent Black Mirror series of thought-provoking dramas seem to be obsessed with the effects that Social Media has on our lives (a recent episode even saw a woman speaking to an artificial intelligence version of her dead partner created and styled by using his online comments and persona). However, for better or worse (I’ll let you make your mind up on that) Social Media is very much a part of our contemporary society and banking provider First Direct has commissioned new research that suggests there are some very interesting groups or personas of online blogger that are emerging.

The research highlighters 12 different types of Social Media user:

·         The Ultras

·         The Deniers

·         The Dippers

·         The Virgins

·         The Lurkers

·         The Peacocks

·         The Ranters

·         The Changelings

·         The Quizzers

·         The Informers

·         The Approval Seekers

Even from the titles I think many of us can identify with at least one (or probably most) of the categories, either because we can identify ourselves or other users that we follow or have witnessed. Like any other area of human civilization, individuals deal with Social Media in a specific way that reflects their personality. Naturally when this is in the public eye it affects the way others see us, be it socially or professionally. At MCC International we would be the first to argue that your online persona is rapidly becoming as important (if not more so in some cases) as the way you conduct yourself offline. Reputation is a difficult concept to prove, but you certainly know it’s gone if you lose it!

 
If you would like to talk about how you can do more with social media give us a call on 02380 111977 or visit www.mccint.com