Self Actualization Gone Digital

Like many younger people, my introduction to Social Media began when the term itself had not yet been developed. My first interaction with Social Media was when a friend introduced me to LiveJournal. Like almost every other angsty teenage user to frequent the site I reveled in the fact that I could express myself and find connections with people who seemed to understand, and even (dare I say) appreciate my rambling, semi-poetic attempts at juvenile self actualization. Looking back at this experience sheds light on my current enthusiasm and hopes for Social Media's future influence with individualism and society. I believe that because this mechanism was created, and guided by humans, Social Media itself evolves much like any organic organism. It responds to, and is governed by it's environment and how we use it.

The draw of Social Media is (as the name suggests) the ability for individuals to find meaningful connections to their world. This connection creates significance and worth within the minds of the users and it is this fact that creates the power of Social Media. This phenomenon has also furthered the 'personalization' of business. Companies both big and small can be found on Facebook and Twitter, and can interact as never before with their supporters, haters and customers. A brand need no longer be dictated by who buys it but by who it presents itself to be. Having worked on developing Social Media programs an policies I have come to learn that a brand now needs to define itself through human characterization in order to create a meaningful relationship with consumers.

I have created Social Media accounts for myself and for organizations, but am still increasingly excited about the future of this phenomenon and what it means for us as people and organizations. In short I believe that social media has allowed us to believe we have moved beyond the pigeonholing of identity, by creating countless complex categories in which we may choose to reside. As Google+ so cleverly designed it, we can separate our personality traits into individual and/or overlapping 'circles' and thus feel that we have been able to define ourselves.