I’ve been reading bad press about online personalities, and how when you then meet that person in real life, they may come across differently to how you had perceived them (keeping in mind that your perception of a person could be completely different to another person).
It’s been troubling me so much, I had to research, then jot my views – because ‘this is what I do’.
I’ve always said,’You can’t have an online personality if you don’t have a personality….’ and mine is obviously a tiny bit playful as I enjoy experimenting with AI and images and use all sorts of tools to support my work.
So, to offer my perspective;
Online personalities OFTEN differ from in-person behaviour. This can be used AND IS USED POSITIVELY for the purpose of PR and raising awareness.
For example;
– People who are shy or introverted in person may become outspoken, confident advocates online, using the anonymity and control of digital platforms to champion causes or share personal stories they might never discuss face-to-face [3][4][5]. Tick.
– Brands and public figures can craft a more engaging, witty, or bold digital persona to attract attention and connect emotionally with audiences, even if their real-life presence is far more reserved and/or formal [2][3]. Tick.
– Individuals sometimes use their online platforms to highlight aspects of themselves like humour, vulnerability, or activism, that they may not feel comfortable expressing offline, helping to humanise issues and spark conversations [1][3][4]. Tick.
– For PR, a brand might adopt a playful or approachable tone online to raise awareness about serious topics, making the message more shareable and relatable than say, a traditional in-person approach would allow [2]. Tick.
In summary, using an online personality can help individuals to amplify messages, reach wider audiences, and foster engagement, for important topics. It’s a POSITIVE story and not to be discouraged. Its also not fake.
Hopefully these scenarios have helped clarify like they did for me.
Citations:
[1] Are You Really Who You Portray Online? – Thrive Global https://community.thriveglobal.com/are-you-really-who-you-portray-online/
[2] Digital PR: Brand Personalities & Values – Honcho https://honchosearch.com/blogs/news/digital-pr-brand-personalities-values
[3] Online personas rarely match real-life behavior, observers say https://phys.org/news/2010-05-online-personas-rarely-real-life-behavior.html
[4] People of Reddit, how different is your online persona from reality? https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1wdlm1/people_of_reddit_how_different_is_your_online/
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