Superhero, Satyameister, Slayer of Mendacity

November 27, 2012 — books, Chris Brogan, digital, flying truth, Impact Equation, superhero

The world is full of mythical beings. Some of them are art rendered by comic book or animation experts. Some are created simply by stereotyping everyone and everything.  That guy is both mythical and all too real.  I notice that some are not attracted to the concept of personal branding, while others embrace the  on line chance to portray themselves as much better than they actually are.  There are many who use our new digital instant PR machine to broadcast how miserable they are.  It all boils down to attracting the kind of attention that you want to attract.  The digital world of communication mimics the physical world by the giving and receiving of attention.  Attention takes time and shows the quality of the identification that has been made.  When an artist creates a new superhero it is imperative to know what kind of attention the character will solicit.  For some reason this kind of scrutiny is not given to the image people project of themselves.

Through the clutter and the noise of endless status updates and offers, very few personal brands ring true.  I like the joke that says Facebook is where you lie to your friends, and twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers but nobody cares in either case.  The imperative to build an image requires that one question be asked.  That question is, “What kind of attention do I want?’  The most common attempts are to solicit envy and or pity in an alternating way.  These both work very well if one wants to find like-minded personal brands.  If you want to stand out and be noticed for a positive attribute, you need to know what that is and honestly live in the reality you claim to be yours.  The job requires self examination as well as craft, editing, and artistry.

I entered the wold of social media by listening to the book Trust Agents, a clear mandate to listen more than you propose.  I am now reading the sequel, Impact Equation, which amplifies and expands on the original message.  The overview and function of the entire communications system is what enlightens us in this latest book.  Brother Brogan is my own bodhisattva of digital darshan. Maybe I bonded with him so much as my first teacher who instructed me on how to enter this strange new world.  Maybe he is my superhero because I have never played a video game or felt the need to understand why and how people game.  He loves tech and gaming in ways will never interest me, but he does not hang his hero hat on the gaming hook.  He finds common ground by keeping a very tight relationship with the truth.  He models Satya for the cosmic and decidedly digital age in which we live and express ourselves.  His avi wears an outfit not unlike Superman’s own, but the S in his case stands for  Satya.  I know as a teacher myself that all students do not match all instruction.  Style is a strong link that can hold attention for a short time.  The teaching must contain truth, however, to hold the student’s deep attention.  I am completely into the idea of Chris flying through my dreams in his truth suit, fighting sketchy versions of reality.  Satyameister has my attention.  There is much to learn.