And How Social Media Can Distort That
The intense heat this week had me obsessed with weather reports, switching from the uselessness of the Weather App to the equally uselessness of the weather reports on television, both of which give me more information than I need and seem to take forever to get to the most important point – when this extreme heat blanketing my neck of the woods is going to subside. In one of those attempts I happened upon a repeat episode of a Tamron Hall Show.
Until that moment I had never heard of Cassidy Bridges , a six-year old influencer who also goes by Cassidy Brianna and is the author of Thank You, It’s An Afro. I did not know about this young entrepreneur/CEO of her own lifestyle brand who spreads messages of kindness, self-love, empathy and joy. I did not know of her “afromations”nor had I heard of the viral TikTok video that started it all with a thank-you for a compliment she received on her hair. What I did know was that like her 41.5 K followers on Instagram, I was captivated by the energy and positivity of this adorable little girl, not to mention the wisdom and poise that even those much older than her do not possess.
So I forgot about my obsession with the weather, reveled in the modern day blessing of air-conditioning and I sat and watched. What has stuck with me since was her answer when Tamron asked why she thought the video that started it all had gone viral. Cassidy’s answer was simple. “It’s me being me.”
Now it took me years of therapy and decades on this planet to truly understand the power of that reasoning and begin the reversal of years of having it drummed into my head by the media and advertisers to be something or somebody other than myself. Yet here was this young girl with an infectious smile already possessing that power and with a platform to share it on.
It’s a simple concept and one I believe in. The more comfortable I am with me being me, the easier my life has been and the more receptive others are to what I have to say. Getting older doesn’t hurt. One of the gifts of getting older is not giving a #@!! about what anyone thinks. There is power in that. But what had my brain going is what that means in a world of social media where the interpretation of “me being me” is often distorted.
Like so many things today, social media blows up and twists around what “me being me” means for the sake of engagement and in the hopes of becoming a meme. It gets masked under the guise of and inaccurate interpretation of what “free speech” really means. Politeness and civil discourse gets thrown out the window. It’s become an excuse for anyone to post anything regardless of its truth or content without any thought to whom it might hurt or how divisive it is – especially if they can figure out a way to monetize it. That’s just him being him. That’s just her being her. But is it? Cassidy’s message is also about spreading kindness and there is nothing kind about the hate and vitriol that clogs social media newsfeeds.
For myself, “me being me” does not necessarily mean saying and doing whatever I feel at any given moment without thought to where I am and whom I’m with. Like Cassidy I am all about creating more kindness in the world. That also means more listening, paying attention and being empathetic to my surroundings and hopefully – kind.
The truth is we all have different versions of “me being me” that are all true to our core but that are presented differently in different scenarios. The “me being me” that stands in front of a room full of graduate students is a different version than the “me being me” that is having a cocktail and dinner with a friend at my neighborhood bar. They are both “me being me” with different filters. The essence is me but what I say and how I say it will vary, both equally being part of my “personal brand” if you will and both with consideration for whom I am with.
Cassidy is now seven-years old and making the rounds as she promotes her new book and the collaborations she has with brands like Afro Unicorn, Target, and Wal-Mart who smartly want to capitalize on messages of positivity. Her interpretation of “me being me” is the idea in its pure sense. Her message is one of kindness and joy. That’s something we could all use more practice with these days – on social media and off.
Does this make sense?
You tell me.
ICYMI you might also enjoy Episode #95 of Marketing, Mindfulness and Martinis, my conversation with Kara Alaimo, author of Over the Influence, Why Social Media is Toxic for Women and Young Girls and How We Can Take it Back.
This article was originally published on Does This Make Sense on Substack.
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