faking brand you

05/31/2005 10:36:00 PM
The anonymity of the internet has long been open to exploitation. People have multiple identities that they play around with amongst a network of loosely connected strangers. People have been faking personal columns for years. Now in a hyper-connected world, who we are on the web really has become an extension of who we are in the real world. This is also open to exploitation.

We see in areas where social status and cool are important: music and gaming. Increasingly you are what you listen to. A recent study on shared music files in the workplace suggests that people select music on shared services to appear cooler than they really are.

Then there's gaming, in the world of PC based multi-player games earning your stripes and progressing up levels takes time and skill. Those who want all the bragging rights and none of the hassle can pay to outsource the hard work.

Where is this heading? It's only a matter of time before it impacts the professional work space and this will not be about faked resumes, but probably faked blogs. If a blog is the new resume, what's to stop someone outsourcing blog writing to a smart Indian or Chinese MBA?

Forget outsourcing for the corporate Fortune 500, how about outsourcing for the 200 million plus executive class? Faking "brand you" has never been easier. Faking for your social network to get bragging rights and faking in your job to progress up the corporate ladder.
Tags:

Comments
It appears you don't have Flash installed.
Email this article to a friend
Send an email to a friend with a link to this article. Items with an asterisk (*) are required.

Your Name:
*

Your Email:
*

Friend's Name:
*

Friend's Email:
*