It does not feel like that long ago that a young man I knew as Lil’ Bow Wow was getting me amped to play basketball because “I like the way they dribble up and down the court.” Now, I am reading headlines about how the rapper posted a picture of a private airplane with a caption leading his followers to believe that he was flying to New York City in style.
However, social media serendipity had another plan for him. A snapchat screenshot surfaced on Twitter calling Shad Moss, AKA Bow Wow, out for flying a commercial flight to New York City. A new internet challenge was born: Bow Wow challenge. People began sharing images of forced perspective that gave the appearance of a life more glamorous.
Emma Haak wrote an article called “What the Bow Wow Challenge Says About the Pressures of Social Media” in which she discussed the overarching pressures that everyone faces on these platforms. In it she says, “But the sad truth is that most of us use social media the same way, even if we’re not fibbing about something as seemingly highbrow as flying private instead of commercial.”
I think what brands should be taking away from Moss’s blunder here, is that people are watching and paying attention. Instead of trying to stretch the truth to maintain an image, social media provides a platform that could be being used for transparency. We are living in a time when comparing yourself to people has never been easier and harder. Easier in the sense that for many, there is a constant connection to images of other peoples’ best lives. Occasionally there are stories that show incredible honestly and vulnerability but they are sparse in comparison to the beach shot or the drinks-with-friends shot.
It is harder because as social media consumers, we typically see results. The fitness fiend or body builder in a pose. The entrepreneur enjoying their compensation. The favorite celebrities in beautiful clothing with beautiful hair and make-up. The master chef’s gorgeous meal. Instead of only comparing ourselves to those that we see around us, our eyes are wide open to the multitude of social media posts headed to our feeds.
Too often we don’t see the journey that brought them to that one snap shot. I scroll through my Twitter feed and every few tweets I see photos captioned “#goals.” People yearn for what they see in these photographs but I often wonder if they knew what was out of shot, or the path that lead to that shot, if it would still be something they wanted.
Brands with a presence on social media have an opportunity to push the honesty posts along and participate in solidarity with the human experience. People that push that boundary often end up scrutinized for “just wanting attention” or some apathetic derivative. Companies have the potential for larger follower bases and therefore what they post can influence what people find acceptable to see and post on social. Letting followers get a glimpse now and then of the hard work that goes into some of the big productions or even in the daily functioning of the business could help bring back perspective. With transparency comes trust and trust builds brand loyalty.
There is a reason that Snapchat has been such a powerful media player. Snapchat users go throughout the day with their favorite celebrities. Users see images of pre-glam stars and seeing the arduous process they actually go through before a red carpet event. You can see just how demanding their schedule is. Kevin Hart shows just how early he gets up to get in his work out, and he takes his followers to his meetings, and to his sets. It makes them more relatable or for me, in Kevin Hart’s case, inspired because I currently cannot relate to his fitness drive or his energy level. It gives me a whole other level of appreciation for him and his work. As he saw great success during his last tour selling out at massive venues, I do not think I am alone in my admiration for him.
Its time for social media efforts to get real and use any of their tools to let your followers in. People like feeling like they are apart of something. They become so much more invested than they would if they were detached from your brand. Don’t let the pressures that resulted in the Bow Wow challenge hold you back from creating transparency.
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