This week I stumbled upon Dr Hans-Georg Moeller and his thoughts on Profilicity. He talks about our profiles being images of ourselves as they are seen by others (hence the use of selfies, reviews, testimonials to help with judgement). We look at our own identity in terms of how that is observed by others. One can understand this in terms of a brand that we are genuinely aligned with (rather than a deceptive fraud).
Moeller added that “When we over-identify with our profile, when we over-commit to our role, when we become obsessed with our originality, we end up with individual and collective unease.”
Instead we can see our profiles as little narratives that tell a story about one / a few of our roles, without trying to capture the full complexity of our selves. This can help to bring a sense of existential ease. As Johannes Niederhauser put it in a conversation with Moeller, we can “use the profile but … not conflate oneself with the profile. The profile isn’t really our identity but it’s genuine.”
With this in mind you can revisit your profiles to understand what narratives they are transmitting and question whether they feel relatable, understandable and fit for purpose (here it’s generally helpful to have purpose and an audience in mind). It’s also important to reflect on whether they feel genuine – do I align with this profile or does it feel deceptive?
#profile #identity #personalbranding #coaching #genuine #socialmediastrategy #brand
Conversation between Moeller and Niederhauser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CMfG001nAk