Has Social Media Made Us Slaves To Self-Promotion?

In this opinion piece, Daresay content editor Rose Schleicher asks the all-important question: has social media made us slaves to self-promotion?
In the age of blogging, social media, influencers and thought leaders, constant self-promotion has become a seemingly indispensable tool for everyone from the successful CEO to your regular Joe. Content is still king, after all.
As someone who has never published a LinkedIn article and tends to be more active on her dog’s Instagram than her own, this concept has always felt somewhat foreign to me. And yet, my millennial self constantly challenges me to embrace it.
So, why are we so drawn to self-promotion? And should we consider breaking the cycle?
Self-promotion vs. humility
Many of us were shaped by the ideals of our parents and grandparents, where humility was often labelled as a virtue. Today, however, not going above and beyond to make yourself heard could actually turn into a disadvantage in a professional environment.
Although not actively participating in the public race for attention is, of course, not a reflection of someone’s true abilities, it could indeed affect how your audiences and peers perceive you.
Sending signals
Slack, which are infamous for honing innovative company culture practices, attribute this to our natural instinct to gravitate to the loudest people in the room. That’s because we often subconsciously associate this kind of ‘noise’ with confidence, and thus, competence.
Reflecting on current trends in politics, social media, and even our workplaces or personal circles, it seems true that we tend to listen most to whoever is most verbally present. This is not an entirely new concept. In fact, it has long been anchored in our DNA and can be traced back all the way to evolutionary biology, where it’s known as signalling.
Signalling theory refers to behaviours we use to ‘signal’ certain information about ourselves to our peers, such as status or abilities. In the animal kingdom it’s the peacock prancing around with its colourful tail to attract a mate. In the workplace, it might be the colleague who always manages to somehow play themselves into the foreground. In marketing, it might be the influencer, who constantly has a new story on the go.
In the marketing context, this is called cost-signalling. Meaning, if a brand or individual appears to invest more time and money into marketing themselves or their product, chances are they’re perceived to be more competent than others – regardless of whether this is true or not.
As such, it fuels the perception that the ones with greatest public presence are also likely to add the most value.
Quantity over quality
The era of blogging and social media has made it very easy for people to cultivate and amplify this behaviour online. And so, thousands have turned it into actual careers, with many more aspiring to follow into their footsteps.
While this has turned influencer marketing into an immensely lucrative tool, it has also fostered an overcrowded, ‘quantity over quality’ marketplace, where the ones who practise the most amount of self-promotion appear to wear the crown.
Naturally, this makes it a lot more difficult for businesses to pick the best people to align their brand with. Instincts tempt us to concentrate on the most prominent people. The frequent posters with a big ‘reach’ (following) and/or ‘high engagement’ (lots of likes).
However, these things no longer seem to be a reliable indicator of ‘influence’ as underlined by Instagram’s much-debated move to hide the ‘likes’ from people’s posts, and the immediate influencer uproar following its implementation. But why is that such a big deal?
Breaking the cycle
According to modern psychology, our opinions and behaviours are shaped by our surroundings. This explains why we gravitate towards things other people in our circles like, also known as herd mentality.
Removing variables that encourage this sort of behaviour, such as seeing who and how many people have engaged with a piece of content, forces us to revaluate what we really ‘like’ and form more independent opinions.
For brands, it’s an opportunity to look at influencers with a fresh lens and pick brand ambassadors based on what matters: the quality of their content.
While I personally still won’t start shouting my name from the rooftops, I can only hope it might help other people cut through the clutter who actually have something to say.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Social MediaLatest News

Sunday TV Ratings: Tommy Little Makes X-Rated Joke On The Hundred With Andy Lee Christmas Special
If there was ever a time to give up on life & revert solely to the couch, it has to be the coming six weeks of summer.

The Clock Is Ticking On Cannes In Cairns Super Early Bird Tickets
As we know, the early bird gets the worm. That said, had the worm stayed in bed, he wouldn't have become breakfast.

B&T’s Campaign Of The Month November 2023 – Innocean’s Powerful White Ribbon Work
The B&T brains trust has got together to award November's ad of the month. And trust us, there ain't a heap of brains.

X Adds 10 Million Users In A Week & Reinstates Conspiracy Theorist Account
In possibly further confirmation that there's no such thing as bad press comes news of Twitter's audience booty.

Samsonite Proves Its “Seriously Tough” In New Campaign From TRP
Why does B&T feel that Schapelle Corby would be the perfect brand ambassador for Samsonite travel luggage.

Industry Endorses New Nielsen Solution To Total TV & Cross-Platform Measurement Delivery
Are TV numbers your thing? Then mark this a must-read. However, B&T's not excluding radio or outdoor people either.

“Not Often I See One Of These In The Wild” – Adam Ferrier Praises Amazon’s Christmassy OOH
Here's a fun bus stop activation from the guys at Amazon. B&T can confirm that Jeff didn't catch said bus.

Greenpeace Mauls Unilever’s Dove Over Terrifying Use Of Plastics
Global soap brand asked to clean up its act. Yes, that's about the best play on words you're going to get today.

Reports: Police DID Receive Allegations Against Alan Jones
You can now add Alan Jones to both Bruce Lehrmann & Ben Roberts-Smith for dreadful stories that just won't go away.

UNE Launches School Leaver Campaign Via Engine Group
Is 2024 the year of the "brilliant new you"? This uni ad could resonate, as could a pack of Schwarzkopf hair dye.

Morgan Stanley: Retail Media Will Steal $1.1b From Aussie Media Owners
Work in traditional media? Had a really shit 2023? Feel the knife twist a little more with this latest ad spend data.

Yes, It’s Ronan Keating! Yes, It’s A Funny Christmas Beer Ad!
Yes, we're breaking B&T's editorial charter today as we overrule "rule four, chapter 13 - never let Ronan Keating sing."

Eagle Eye’s Jonathan Reeve On How Retail Marketers Can Use Technology To Transform Christmas
Hoping to squeeze that extra dollar out of your Christmas customer? Put the wring into the cha-ching with this news.

Gumtree Appoints G Squared To Drive Search
Gumtree appoints G Squared to drive search. And that's despite the "no hawkers or canvassers" sign on the front door.

“Maybe Stop Having More Kids With People You Just Met” – Tammy Hembrow Roasted By Followers After Announcing Engagement
Think the daily news cycle is slowing down pre-Christmas? Confirm it with this D-grade celeb rubbish.

New Business Wins For We Scout
Indie comms agency We Scout announces new business wins. Well, you'd hardly announce new business losses, would you?

Dentsu Forecasts 2024 Global Ad Spend To Grow By 4.6%
Latest dentsu report looks promising for global ad spends overall. It's looking far less promising for Alan Jones.

JOLT Partners With Polestar On New Campaign Debunking “Range Anxiety”
EV charging station JOLT unveils "range anxiety" campaign. Yet, nothing on EV owners boring everyone to death.

Zenith Wins Superloop’s Media
The Zenith Christmas party set to be a wholly more bawdy, jolly soirée after agency nabs end-of-year win.

Acast Total Payout To Podcasters Surpasses $30M
Yes, AI's been grabbing all the headlines over the past 12 months, but read on as podcasting says "hold my beer".

Doritos Champions Infamous Orange Dust In New Campaign Via VaynerMedia, TRIO & Mango Communications
There's three absolute givens at any B&T bash - the Jatz, the Dorito and the fruity lexia.

Alan Jones Threatens To Sue Nine Papers Over Indecent Assault Allegations
Why does B&T get the feeling that Alan might actually enjoy a stint in an all-male prison?

Adobe: Calming Rhythms, Nostalgia & Wonder & Joy Set To Dominate Creativity
Be first to read the Adobe Creative Trends 2024 Report here. And there's sparse news for fans of the knickerbocker.

Archibald Williams Wins NBA Digital, Activation & Fan Engagement Accounts For APAC
Independent brand and digital agency, Archibald Williams (AW) has been appointed to lead the NBA account across the APAC region. The NBA is one of the most prestigious sporting leagues in the world and basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in Australia. Effective immediately, AW said it was “excited” to work across all digital, […]

Tennis Bad Boy Nick Kyrgios To Create New Athlete Content On OnlyFans
Tennis brat takes time off from embarrassing the nation to reveal new social media initiative.

Before Adland: The Media Store’s Sam Cousin’s Journey From Parisienne Nanny To Chief Strategy Officer
B&T's shining a light on industry folk prior to adland. Preference given to anyone purporting actual UFO abduction.

Thursday TV Ratings: Seven’s Big Bash Debuts To Sluggish 318K
The fact that it's December, meteorologically confirms summer is officially here. Cricket just gives it a nudge along.

Spotify CFO Walks As Problems Grow For Streaming Giant
Spotify CFO heads for the Spotify exits. Has requested "Don't You Forget About Me" as preferred leaving song.

TV Reporter Gives Withering Takedown After Being Fat Shamed Live On Air
Haven't yelled "you go, girl" for some time now? Clear the throat and ready the fist pumps with this overnight news.

BBC Presenter Left Red-Faced After Sticking Middle Finger Up LIVE-ON-AIR!
B&T warns this article contains gesticulations readers may find offensive. Yet, nothing you don't see driving every day.

QMS Champions Creativity As First Most Contagious APAC 2023 Sponsor
Leading digital outdoor company QMS has announced it is the first-ever inaugural partner for Most Contagious APAC, the landmark London event by creative and strategic intelligence company Contagious, which will be showcased in Australia on Tuesday, 12 December in Sydney and Wednesday, 13 December in Melbourne. Most Contagious is an event that delivers key advertising […]

OMG’s Annalect First To Get Meta’s Advanced Analytics
Omnicom’s data and analytics division Annalect has partnered with Meta, giving it access to Advanced Analytics (AA) – one of Meta’s privacy-focused measurement solutions – to provide Omnicom’s clients with future-proof, next-level measurement. Omnicom is the first holding company to have access to AA. AA allows advertisers to combine their first-party data with Meta’s ads […]

Foxtel Wins Exclusive Multi-Year Rights Extension With International Cricket Boards
Are you such a weird cricket tragic you even watch games when NOT played in Australia? Foxtel has exciting news for you.

News Corp Launches One-Off Taylor Swift Mag Ahead Of Aussie Tour
Thought we'd reached peak Tay Tay overload? News Corp declares "f@ck that" with a new print iteration.

It’s Quiz Time: Team B&T Got 100% – Can You?
Take B&T's Friday trivia, outrageously cheat, & go into the draw to win a $100 booze voucher! Alcohol & con artistry!

AKQA Launches Eco-Conscious AI DIY Assistant Encouraging People To Gift More Sustainably
WPP’s AKQA has launched Fixmas.gift, an environmentally conscious AI-powered DIY assistant, affectionately known as Fixie, for a one-stop solution for all things repair. Fixmas.gift hosts an array of guides and inspiration to empower people to prolong the lives of their belongings or purchase pre-owned items that need a little love and care. Fixie can: Help […]