Strategically Communicating

This week I’ve been thinking a lot about perceived social value and the idea that we share things as a way to define ourselves. What do you think: if you looked at the content you’ve shared via social media, would it be an accurate depiction of yourself?

We are not just the audience – if we share things as a way to define ourselves via social appraisals, aren’t we essentially embodying the media we choose to push forward under our name? Too many cat videos?

In a recent attempt to get more specific about Gen Y, AdWeek asks: are these the 12 types of Millennials? Now don’t zone out yet – technically Gen Y does not have precise dates when the generation starts and ends, but it typically represents birth years from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. That’s not all of us, but it definitely is a lot of us. According to AdWeek, “if there’s one thing every millennial hates, it’s an overly broad generalization about what every millennial thinks.” But, if we’re all posting, reading, and reposting the same content as digital natives, can millennials – and most everyone actively using social media – be boiled down to a handful of broad assumptions? In this case, a researcher who analyzed over 4 million millennials using their online data, did just that.

If someone – a friend, coworker, future employer or potential date – was to base her entire judgment of you off of the media you choose to spread, what would she say?