How to Be Authentic on Social Media

As online communities began to emerge nearly 20 years ago, web designer Yakob Nielsen observed a phenomena called participation inequality. Summarized as 1990, that means 1% of users create most of the content, 9% casually participate, and 90% observe. >> That's right. And in today's society with polarization, cancel culture may make some people even more hesitant to be active on social media. But joining us to discuss how to step out into the world of social media and grow confidence in your voice is Faren Wright. She's a social media influencer, Instagram content creator at Farah Wright. Faren, thank you so much for joining us here in studio. It's great that you're in from Dallas here to enjoy New York. Tell us a little bit before we get into social media. Just your background. How did you get sort of started in all this? >> Yes. I think one of the the funnest things that you never expect to do what you do and then when it happens you're like, "Wow, I didn't expect that." So, I never thought that this would be a job that I would have, but I actually got started because I joined a skincare company. And so, I was showing people how to use their products and how to make your skin glow and all these things. And I would have never guessed that that would have made me comfortable in front of a camera years later to start doing social media. >> Wonderful. Well, you're it's really taken off and I'd love to hear more about your take on social media, why it's so useful, and how people can get started. >> Yeah. So I really believe that we all have such a voice and we can all bring value to somebody and we can all help people. And so if you bring joy to people, you can bring joy to people online. If you make people laugh, you can make people laugh online. And media is such a space now is we're just in a world of media. Everybody consumes media so much. And so I like to let people look at it like a digital um blueprint where you are leaving a mark in the world. and you are helping people. So if you are inspiring people or if you have something that you can encourage somebody with that is going to live forever. >> Now let's get a little bit more down to the tactics of actually doing it. So you know who do you think could benefit and and why is social media a more accessible way for them to get their message out there? >> Yeah. So social media is one of the largest platforms. I mean, Tik Tok, YouTube, Instagram, people are view there's millions of views a day. And so, if you have a business or you have a message or you have a story, it's a great way to use it to really help people and really get the message out there or really show people what you do in your business because if you're so passionate about your business, you want people to see like what you're doing and then be able to bring in connections that you've never had before. I get to talk to women all the way in Ireland that I would have never been able to do in normal life because our paths wouldn't have crossed. But because of social media, you're able to cross paths with people. And it just is so special what you are able to do. >> It's a wonderful picture you're painting of connection, community, and these things that, you know, people strive to achieve in their lives, but may not realize what opportunities lie. Yeah. beyond the current situation they're in and the impact as you mentioned if somebody's got a story, if somebody's got a mission that they want to share and spread. So, what are some practical tips that people can use to get started? >> Okay, I have three tips for everybody watching. Um, it is so simple. So, one message you can turn into three different pieces of content. Whatever you want to showcase, whatever your message is, you can turn it into three different ways. So, one is talking to camera. You just set up your phone. Nowadays, they I have a little grippy on the back of my phone. and you can literally stick it anywhere and you talk to the camera. So, whatever you want to say, you say it to your audience like you're talking directly to them. And then another one is really fun like behind the scenes. So, say you're doing a video and you're able to really capture things. And then telling a story with text on the screen is another fabulous way to do the same piece of content in a different way. And then my third is really fun for all of the writers and readers. People are really good at telling a story through writing. And so you can post a picture and have a whole caption because some people your audience is captivated by what you write. So there's so many different ways, whatever works best for you. All you have to do is show up consistently. >> Those are great tips for creating content. Maybe you could give us some of the tips that you've learned in terms of how you use social media to tag or otherwise get that content to people. like you said, you you had something in common with somebody in Ireland, something that connected the two of you despite boundaries. So, how do you actually get that piece of content to the people that might be interested in it? >> Well, I think you're So, you're creating a community. You're creating people who who are really inspired by what you say or they're drawn to you, they want to know more. So, you're adding value. So, the more value you can add, the more of the community that will be drawn to you and what you share and they want to hear from you. one of my favorite accounts. He's like a neuroscientist and I love learning about the brain and so those are like you would have never thought that I would be drawn into his community but because of the information he puts out online. I watch his videos all the time. So for anybody you can add value no matter what you do and you will grow your community and it can be from all over the world >> and you can have my sense is so much impact as you're experiencing as well. What kind of platforms you think suit different purposes? Are there recommendations you've got for where people should start? >> Yeah. Okay. So, whichever platform is performing best for you, keep going on that one because I am in a world full of content creators and we have, you know, phone calls where we talk about all the time how this is so wild that this works on this platform but it doesn't work on this platform. So find one that is really liking what you're putting out and then that makes it easier to grow instead of being scattered on multiple different platforms and then not being able to grow your community. I know that can be really frustrating. So pick one that works best for you. >> And I want to get your take. Obviously there's all of the positivity that comes out of social media, especially when it comes to small businesses or charities. But as we start to round up, would love to get your thoughts on how you can make social media work for you. but you not become a slave to social media and you could mitigate some of the dangers that we all hear about it. >> Yeah. When I first got started on social media, I didn't really have the viewpoint that all of a sudden the whole world has access to your life. And so, very early on, I had people that would cover me if I would get really cruel comments online um that would I would be able to just share, hey, this is going on and this was actually really hurtful. And I would have people that would encourage me and say, "Your voice matters." And so that's what I would tell people. Your voice matters. So even if you are getting um cruel comments, that that has nothing to do with you and what you're putting out, but you are doing the right thing. You're encouraging other people. And so just keep going would be my advice to people because your content will get to the right people. >> I love that. So inspiring. So much opportunity, especially for those who maybe they're taking on a bigger industry or they're getting started. you have the opportunity to get your message out there. Farah Wright, so great to have you in the studio. And you can find Faren at Farahen Wright on Instagram. Check her out.