WORLD WE IMAGINE PART 1: Honesty and Transparency in Image

 I think my biggest contribution that I’d like to make to the world is honesty and transparency.

Increasingly I notice that saving face and projecting an image are central driving forces in our society. LinkedIn, Instagram, traditional media mediums, and even our interpersonal relationships - they all are dominated by the reputation-driven Influencer, who is judged almost entirely on how much influence they have on their followers. Influence is status. Influencer actions are driven by image. When their actions are successful, or more importantly give the image of success, their influence increases. On the contrary, when they do something that tarnishes their image, their influence decreases. People then simply stop following or listening to the influencer.

Unfortunately, this means that the influencer has to project the best image of themselves to their followers almost all the time. Admitting failure is handing in the towel. As an influencer, admitting imperfection is admitting you may not be worthy of the influence you carry.

And of course, followers of the influencer play a key role in this culture. We surrender our understanding of the nuances of life to an image that looks perfect to those around us. We want that perfection. We want to be what we see.

The notion of the influencer is not new; it’s a part of human nature. Since the beginning of time, influencers have come in many different forms: religious and political leaders, professional athletes, academics, and even that one cool kid on the block that all the other kids look up to. At times, I have been an influencer. Other times, I have been subjected to being a follower.

You may be saying to yourself that human beings having influence is natural. After all, everyone looks up to people for different things: their intelligence, athleticism, world view, beauty, the way they carry themselves. The influencer is unique, however, in that their influence and power comes from a public image that is crafted over time. Our society looks at influencers in envy rather than in cooperation. Influencers are not on our level. We see them as better-than-us in some regard.

How are role models and influencers different? Or, a better question being how are we influenced by role models and influencers differently? Role models typically get their influence through actions. We look up to role models for tangible things they have done. Influencers, on the other hand, are looked up to for an image that has been crafted by themselves. In short, the image of the influencer has been built up intentionally to appear a certain way - it’s not a product of the natural nuances we face in our everyday lives. The goal of the influencer is not to show the challenges that they have overcome but rather to portray a challenge-less, easy version of their lives to the world.

Instagram models don’t usually show their followers the hours they spend preparing themselves for photo shoots. They don’t show their followers the before, or the during, of the actions they take to make themselves look a certain way. Rather, they share their curated, final product of perfection to the world.

I want to make clear that there is absolutely nothing wrong with sharing the image of success to the world. People should be proud of the things they have, especially the things they have worked for. I encourage and even implore people to do this.

Life is full of challenges, however, and it’s important that we as a society recognize that just as much as we recognize our successes. We should not strive to show a perfect representation of ourselves to the world. This sets everyone up for failure. When the influencer is not able to control their image anymore, they lose their credibility. And when followers of the influencer only see perfect images, they miss out on the challenges of getting there.

I say to the influencers this: leave behind the curated image and focus on the actions that get you there. Influencers sell us their achievement, intelligence, and beauty in the form of a final product - a curated image that we’d like to be ourselves. But final products feel more like a commodity than an inspiration. Show me how you get to your perfect state. To me, this is more interesting than that perfect state itself.

My pledge to the world, in this way, is honesty - whether it be in my future professional pursuits or in my personal life. In all the ways that I am an influencer now, I’d like to be a role model in the future. I want to celebrate my successes and failures in a transparent way. This is being a true global citizen. You’re not doing your neighbor a favor when you brag to him about the promotion you got. But inspiring him with your story, the ups and downs of how you got there, is a good thing.

By no means have I been even close to perfect in this way. There are many conversations I’ve been a part of where I’ve played the role of influencer. I’ve bragged about things, talked about various successes, when in reality they were much more complicated than the golden ticket at the end. And in that way, I’ve probably harmed others to some extent.

Furthermore, I don’t want to be a blind follower of an influencer. In the past, I’ve been jealous of influencers. I’ve said to myself, why does it come so easy for some people? I don’t want to be won over with shiny final products that are more complicated behind the scenes. I want to see the nuance of the world, and I think that it will ultimately make me a better person to be around and a better world citizen.