Humanity’s obsession with immortality is a never-ending quest that dates back to our earliest recorded histories and works of literature. The Epic of Gilgamesh, dating back to at least 22nd century BC, primarily revolves around the hero’s quest for immortality after the death of his close companion, Enkidu. The subject has been addressed by many religions in different forms. Today’s scientists, like Aubrey de Grey, are still in pursuit of the Holy Grail, the Philosopher’s Stone, that Fountain of Youth, that Key of Life.
I am here to tell you that the search is over – YES, the quest for immortality is over – we are there – YOU ARE IMMORTAL. Don’t worry, I haven’t lost it – I am actually quite conscious of the declaration I just made and I will say it again – You ARE Immortal!
I didn’t say, you CAN BE immortal, I said you ARE immortal. Social Media has made all of us immortal. Our digital foot prints are there to stay. Even if you delete your Facebook account, or your picture off Flickr … where do you think it all goes? probably some mega recycle bin somewhere in virtual space – so those ones and zeros are there forever! Every picture, every word, every video, every mouse click … it’s there to stay long after you go away. You asked for Immortality, you got it – be careful what you wish for!
So since immortality is no longer an optional thing, you might as well make the best of it – take control of your legacy! Start building your brand, your personal brand. How would you like to be remembered? Think of it this way, nowadays, as soon as we hear someone’s name, or some song, or anything, we google it up. This is not going to change, in fact, I think it will only get worse. So what are people expected to find when they look your name up? Have you googled your name – what we like to call the vanity search? Where (if any) does your name show up? What is your name associated with? What value did you bring into to this world? Are you just another number? and most importantly what are you doing to improve that legacy?
I was having drinks with a friend last night, who told me that she’s not into all the social media “crap”. She thinks it’s an invasion of her privacy and now that her parents are on, she has nowhere else to hide. Here’s the trick in social media, there isn’t really a way back. Your mark is there; so deal with it.
We are truly fortunate to be living in such an incredibly exciting era. We have an opportunity to create legacies with little effort compared to those who came before us. Heroes of literature, psychology, sociology, science, medicine had to slave away in the hope of getting their message across to the world to have a small taste of immortality by leaving behind a great legacy … we have it made for us!
Personal branding is not about YOU talking about YOU, it’s about PEOPLE talking about YOU through YOUR work. Personal Branding is not only for high status individuals, like CEOs, politicians, celebrities – it’s actually more relevant to YOU and ME. We have a chance of building a legacy through the value we create, the minds we captivate, the hearts we touch, and the lives we change. What are you waiting for?
I am eternally my legacy. by John Antonios
Each one of us is truly passionate about something, it could be music, it could be reading or writing, it could be making people laugh, it could be painting, it could be God, it could be politics, it could be anything … what is yours? what do you like to do? You can be sure there are a lot of people out there, who like the same thing and would love to share with you and learn from you.
In the future, when your grandchildren look up your name online, what will they find? Think About It!
That’s a great way to look at social media, our modern fountain of youth. We have people of all ages using social media. We’re currently leaving a time capsule for future generations, or fossils if you will.
I think the key is to not be scared or afraid of being immortal. At the same time, we must tread carefully.
Mouyyad, thank you for capturing the essence of my post in just a few incredible lines. I love the “time capsule” idea – I think it is brilliant – I hope you don’t mind if I quote you in the future when referring to this subject of Social Media Immortality!
Once again, thank you!
I don’t mind at all, I’m honored, and my pleasure.
John,
You definitely know how to make big statement! 🙂
You are reminding us that Social media probably gave Us, possibilities that never existed before for mainstream population. As JonAkwue said at the Likeminds, social media can save life, talking about the Netmums initiative.
But with Great power comes great responsibility.
Keep bringing thought-provoking, brilliant and well-executed pieces to us.
Karima-Catherine
How do you measure your legacy? What makes a person immortal? I believe that it is measured by how strong of an influence you had on people during your lifetime, on what impression people they have of you, and how long they will remember you and the value you added to their lives.
If you apply this definition in the business world, then immortality would be measured according to what image your target market has of you and what makes you stand out. “In marketing terms, we are remembered in terms of positioning and our differentiation” (John Zajaros).
When Seth Godin talked about Linchpins, he was referring to these people that make a difference, those that are indispensable in any field, and those that add value. His idea of taking control of legacy is “to stand out, to exert emotional labor, to be seen as indispensable, and to produce interactions that organizations and people care deeply about.”
The reason why people don’t take advantage of the social media tools to take control of their legacy is in what you explained in your previous post: FEAR. “People in general fear change and avoid venturing into the unknown because of that fear”. This is what Godin was talking about. He wants the people that have potential to become Linchpins, to take action and embrace this fear and turn it to their advantage.
I really like how you illustrated this idea with the vanity search example. The “transparency imposed by social media” that you talk about in your post “Change is still a dirty word, or is it?” implies that our personal information is being disclosed to the public. Anyone who looks you up on Google can learn about any value you added and achievements. So I agree with you when you say we can control our legacy in controlling what is written or said about us digitally.
As I was researching articles about vanity search, I stumbled across Michael Mindes’s blog post about how he plans to control his vanity search with the help of social media tools. I find his plan very interesting as he has some useful insights and tips on how to control what is said about you through blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many more. This will help build your equity (aka personal branding), which will in turn help you become immortal.
John,
I think your very last line is the one that sticks out to me. In 200 years, my great-great-great-great grandchildren will actually be able to know “who I was”. I’ll admit that this thought is equal parts fascinating and scary to me. But there is no denying it, we do now live in a world where “personal brands” are real, and they will last a long, long time.
I like the idea and the way you express it, how you made it more concrete, most of us think about it but i don’t think anyone thought of putting it in words. Social media is at the same time a mean for your personal branding true… But also a Burden.
I understand why people make that “my parents are on it” or “my boss is watching” excuse, but honestly it BS. Period.
I surround myself with brilliant, motivated, idea-provoking people. The thing about those type, they speak their mind and they have radical ideas that spawn revolutionary improvements in society. If someone can’t handle that, they need to bury themselves in a cave. Do we want to look back at the things we would have done in life if only mommy hadn’t been watching?
I come from an extraordinarily conservative, religious family. That doesn’t define me. That is their choice to be who they are. I may have brought family members close to tears when they disagree with me, but in the end they respect me for speaking my mind, & I am glad that I can open theirs with new ideas that make them better people.
Someone reading a post on facebook, or running across your twitter stream is passive. If you can’t handle being yourself in a passive manner, how can you ever truly be a strong individual who lives up to their full potential.
Embrace who you are! Be immortal! Viva la revolution!
That is so true Nick – I think people can no longer afford to look away from Social Media – some think it’s a trend, but it is changing the world and then some! From the tone in your comment, I am sure you will love to read a previous post I had written about not plagiarizing your identity for the sake of fitting in – check it out, and let me know what you think:The Nail that Sticks Out Gets Hammered Down – NOT!
That’s a great article. Brilliant title first of all – really got my attention! i chatted to leadership guru John Maxwell a while ago and he told me, “When you’re gone – people will sum up your life in one sentence ~ you decide what it will be”.
I’ve thought about that a lot ever since ~ I think the more we start thinking now about what kind of a legacy we’re going to leave the better. With the internet – our grand-childrens grandkids will be able to read about what we are writing now. It’s a scary thought….
As scary as the thought is Jeremy, I think the excitement outweighs that fear – I’m sure you agree with me. We have a chance our great grandfathers only wish they had – can you imagine if Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Beethoven … or any of the legends had social media as a platform to communicate their legacy? But this also highlights a very important aspect of Personal Branding – you have to make sure your brand stands out! It’s true you have been given means to share your brand with millions, but so has everybody else – so now the challenge is authenticity and value that your brand reflects.
This is so well put. I’m going to be influenced by your words and your ears will be ringing! Thank you.