Social media has become an essential part of the world around us. It provides us with news, entertainment, connectivity, and even careers for some. Social media users consume content that influences their appearance, actions, and beliefs – consciously or unconsciously. We are constantly interacting with a feed that learns about you and selects significant posts that are relevant to your activity. With over 4.5 billion social media users, every person has their own unique digital identity that constantly evolves with every click. This digital collection of media consisting of photos, videos, likes, shares, etc. represents your online persona, an extension of your own identity, online. Photos, videos, GIFs, stickers, etc. are carefully curated by brands and designers to present their established values and identity. This media collage contributes to narrative and storytelling, brands communicate and get feedback from their audience which collectively inform their social curation.
As social media technology has integrated with the real world with face filters and AR/VR experiences, creators can contribute to their curated persona in a completely new way; the audience can experience it for themselves. This new hybrid space introduces a new mode of connecting that is fun and creative. Social media has received a lot of negative attention for its addictive nature, but as users, it is a responsibility to create and maintain a space that is positive and inclusive. And as designers and personal brands, social media can be a positive space to build a collection of media that explores and embraces the quickly changing landscape in the online world. Through social media, users can share and generate exciting creations that connect with you.
