Do you feel that we should make our physical appearance unidentifiable, through privacy settings and being cautious, or, do you feel that we should embrace the fact that physical appearance has become a part of self-branding?
Tuesday 17 November 2015
Should We Embrace Self-Branding?
Over the past few weeks, we have spent some time discussing the work of Alice Marwick. She explains the different types of self-branding and image building techniques that are prominent today. I felt that our debate on the social networking website LinkedIn was an interesting learning point. We identified the issue that social networking sites related to business create a physical bias, as now people are being judged not only on their work skills, but also their physical appearance. An article in the Business Insider written by Jhaneel Lockhart explains that regardless if you post a photo on your LinkedIn profile, potential employers have several different ways of finding out your physical appearance. Lockhart explains that not posting a photo on your LinkedIn account can actually hurt your chances in a job search.
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Self-branding and image building though social network sites is prominent today. Users create a specific identity in relation to the appropriate social media platform; Facebook profile pictures may vary from LinkedIn. The LinkedIn profile picture is valuable to employers because it is a representation of the person, it as able to convey a level of professionalism.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should embrace that fact that physical appearance has become apart of self-branding, although I believe that appearance should not be a dictating factor in determining if you are applicable for a job. While working at a company in the summer, taking on the position as a hiring manager to build a sales team, the employer was looking at both appearance as well as employment for the reason that the position was client facing. The ability to build your brand online is associated with the type of industry you are looking to work in. If you are not in a client-facing position, appearance is considered less important than a job in which meeting with clients is mandatory. Although, profile pictures are not an appropriate judgment of capability, social networks have enabled this ability to create a brand, which society highly values. Employers look to social media profiles to get a better understanding of that person’s sociality, such as whether or not they post racy photos or comments online, your representation of professionalism and a specific personality, which they may be looking for.