I disappeared from the internet three years ago. Mostly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the height of the pandemic lockdowns, I deactivated or privatized all my social accounts. It was for my own good\u2014numbing my big feelings with memes and escaping into lives I was envious of had become toxic for me. The idea of having a \u201cgood\u201d online presence in 2020 was just too much for me to handle, while we were already coping with so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only thing that remained was my work, which I fed daily from a desk tucked into the corner of my living room. Day in, and day out, I existed online only through my job and amongst strangers in anonymous video game voice chats<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But now things are starting to change; I\u2019m out in the world again after a long hibernation, meeting humans and making IRL friends<\/a> for the first time in years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I logged back in and dug through my accounts, like an identity archaeologist, to see what my online presence had been before the upheaval. I discovered my old Instagram posts and website no longer matched the person I was becoming. I needed to update\u2026well, everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not because I\u2019m becoming an influencer<\/a> or launching a business, but because I want my online \u201chome\u201d to be a place I enjoy existing<\/a> and playing in on my<\/em><\/strong> terms. I want to hand over my handle with confidence, knowing when a new potential friend or contact glances at my profile, they\u2019ll have a basic understanding of who I am and what I love.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n I reached out to my peers, career coaches, and recruitment experts to learn more about building an online presence that works for you instead of against you. Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t<\/em> need an online presence to be valued socially or professionally if it doesn\u2019t align with your goals. You, as a person<\/a>, remain as brilliant and delightful whether you have an Instagram or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, it can be a valuable tool for meeting people, cultivating friendships<\/a>, and finding new opportunities\u2014sharing a website or TikTok page can serve the same purpose as handing over a business card. But it doesn\u2019t need to be highly curated or have thousands of followers or subscribers to be effective!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you choose to have an online presence and want to start using it to present yourself in the world, welcome aboard. But how do you balance intention and authenticity in a world of curated posts and deceiving filters?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start by learning whether you\u2019re an online person or not. Dayana Cadet<\/a>, a Clarity Coach and founder of I See You, Sis<\/a>, recommends asking yourself: “Who are you trying to connect with, and where do they hang out?” Maybe it\u2019s in-person community events or online on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Discord, or Slack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If social media is the right fit for you, I encourage you to release any external expectations of how you have to use it before setting your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI also always make it a point to remind folks that their online presence can be as buttoned up or as vulnerable as they’re comfortable with,\u201d says Cadet, \u201cbut it does have to be authentic to who they are.\u201d That\u2019s because who we are is completely unrelated to how many followers we have, or how much of our lives we choose to share.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Instead of looking at the numbers, consider who you want to speak to and why. What next actions do you want friends, followers, or subscribers to take after they come across your online self? Do you want them to be inspired by you? To hire you? To challenge you? Or to feel empowered, or joyful?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps you don\u2019t want them to take any<\/em> action at all and just prefer to keep your online presence as a one-way portfolio showcase. That\u2019s okay!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some goals you might consider here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your brain works like mine does, it\u2019s easy to get caught up in all-or-nothing thinking that says everything must be done right now.<\/strong> (Get a professional headshot, a new URL, all the corresponding social media handles, take over the world, etc.) You don\u2019t have to do it this way. Trust me, you\u2019ll feel healthier and more grounded if you take this one step at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a quick checklist for updating your online presence, whether it\u2019s for work or play:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you often find yourself stopping important life events or ignoring momentous occasions in favor of posting to \u201cthe \u2018gram,\u201d it might be worth examining. Are you sharing things you genuinely enjoy and believe others will too, or are you posting solely for the algorithm to do its magic work and make you look wealthier, or smarter, or sexier? (It\u2019s okay, we\u2019ve all done it).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our online presence is not an extension of our personality\u2014rather, it\u2019s a vehicle. That means we aren\u2019t who<\/em> we claim to be online but how we claim to be it.<\/strong> If you\u2019re posting only what you want others to think about you, even though it\u2019s not true, your online persona is simply a product of others’ expectations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n “We aren\u2019t who<\/em> we claim to be online but how we claim to be it.<\/strong>“<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n To help with this, you might create a mini set of guidelines or principles for posting to social media if you have a hard time knowing what\u2019s authentic. I\u2019m finding words I can recite when I wonder if something is an aligned post\u2014is this content crafty, silly, cute, joyful, or honest? If not, then maybe I can share it to my disappearing stories, or forgo a share entirely. Knowing your own guidelines can also be helpful for you when navigating what to share in moments of victory, tragedy, or other historic importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, you don\u2019t have to be an influencer or entrepreneur to curate your online presence effectively, because it\u2019s about recognition more than growth. \u201cIt\u2019s not about how much or how often to show up on social media,\u201d notes Rachel Stiles<\/a>, founder of Stage Creative Network (an online membership site for folks working in the theater space). Instead, it\u2019s about \u201chow to show up in a way that [you] actually enjoy creating a presence.\u201d Ironically, Stiles notes, it\u2019s this type of authenticity that the algorithms are learning to reward with better distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that visibility for who<\/em> you are, my friends, is what leveling up is all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emily McGowan<\/strong><\/a> is the Editorial Director at The Good Trade. She studied Creative Writing and Business at Indiana University, and has over ten years of experience as a writer and editor in sustainability and lifestyle spaces. Since 2017, she\u2019s been discovering and reviewing the top sustainable home, fashion, beauty, and wellness products so readers can make their most informed decisions. Her editorial work has been recognized by major publications like The New York Times and BBC Worklife. You can usually find her in her colorful Los Angeles apartment journaling, playing with her two cats, or crafting. Say hi on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0or follow along with her Substack,\u00a0Pinky Promise<\/a>.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n How do you put your best foot forward online, even if you’re not an influencer or social media expert? Our editor explores authentic ways we can show up online.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":189,"featured_media":29160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_enable_custom_container":false,"_custom_container_max_width":"","_is_legacy_styles_disabled":true,"_is_thumbnail_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,331,7,324],"tags":[258,148,4,5,149],"class_list":["post-29144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-media","category-self","category-work-money","tag-education-related-reading","tag-emily-related-reading","tag-self","tag-work-money","tag-workplace-related-reading"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
“I want my online ‘home’ to be a place I enjoy existing and playing in on my<\/em><\/strong> terms.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
First, do you need an online presence?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
“How do you balance intention and authenticity in a world of curated posts and deceiving filters?”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Get clear on your goals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
“Who we are is completely unrelated to how many followers we have, or how much of our lives we choose to share.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
Then, do a quick facelift<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
Fit your online life into your routine, not the other way around<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
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