Filter Change

Every year, we spend a few days at the beach with some 20+ nieces and nephews. It’s beautiful chaos. As the older cohort of cousins moves through high school and college, it has become my annual wake-up call as to how old and out of touch I am, especially as it relates to all things social media. Memes, gifs, filters - as soon as Uncle Dan begins to fully comprehend, the platform in question is almost immediately rendered irrelevant. This year’s conversation focused on one’s "personal brand" on social media. As I struggled to understand how I might get one or even if I want one, one niece said, "it’s gotta be authentic. Just do you and do it well." While my niece didn’t realize she was paraphrasing St. Francis DeSales (which wouldn’t go with her personal brand), it got me thinking about how I project myself on more than just Facebook. With all our filters, digital and otherwise, how would others describe my brand? Would they use the word "authentic?" More importantly, how much of "Christ’s image" would they see reflected in what I put out there? Perhaps I need to post less and practice more.