The Main MACRO trends - Sharded Self.

The Sharded Self is the fifth of today's current MACRO trends. It shows that near enough everyone is guilty of owning a sharded version of themselves. Social media is the reason for this, as we are constantly trying to change post, promote and advertise the ideal versions of ourselves online. We only allow people to see what we want them to see, as we are in full control of what we put out there about ourselves. We are able to change as many of our personal attributes as we like. So to the online viewer they are only able to see a small fragment of the side of us that we want to show off.

There are extreme examples of creating sharded versions of ourselves, which can have devastating effects. An example is the hit MTV reality TV series, Catfish. People invest their emotions into online romances, only to find that the person they have fallen in love with does not truly exist. This trick is revealed and the harsh realities are exposed on this television show. It shows just how terrible the affects are when creating different/fake personas of yourself goes wrong. A quote which sums up my point perfectly is by the author Jamie Bartlett. It is from his book The Dark Net: Inside the Digital Underworld.

'We now create several versions of the self, as with different personalities and personas, not just between the online and offline worlds, but different versions of the online self.'

Although, as if catfishing was not enough, there are more micro personas floating around the world wide web, which include:

Elasticated Personas 

This version of a persona is where we are happy to twist the truth, but not allow ourselves to feel that we are lying. For example you could post a picture of yourself but put lots of filters on it. This can make you look like a totally different person, but because it is you in the image you feel as though you are not cheating anyone.

Continous Partial Living

This version of a persona is where someone is living different lives and choosing to have different personalities to match these offline. An example of this is changing dramatically to suit your company and the time in order to impress.

Pindividualism 

This version of a persona focuses on our location, and what we are purchasing.

The Mr Benn Effect 

This version of a persona is where people decide to swap their appearance, cultures and personalities in order to impress people. This revolves more around your financial situation; in trying to make people of importance believe that you are like them.

Troll Marketing 

This version of a persona is where brands are taking the abuse that gets thrown around online and turing them into campaigns of awareness. For example, NOH8 create great video clips and photography images of celebrities to promote gay rights. This is due to so many individuals getting bullied about these types of topics online; brands feel that creating awareness is key, as the internet is such a huge platform.

The Sharded Self is the latest trend to hit the scene and in a sense catching markets off guard. Although there is a slight confusion about what markets do with this, it is the teething period in which consumers try to balance their online lives with their offline lives.

In consumers virtual lives they often feel a sense of responsibility to impress their friends, family and followers. It is like a popularity contest, where everyone wants to be the next online sensation. Although, by having these online goals it can often create a sense of alienation for the individual, as this can take over their lives. Therefore, the thought that they do not make their goals and followers ignore their attempt at online popularity is devastating to some.

This MACRO trend can be seen as a negative, as it allows people to tamper with the truth and therefore mislead others. But there is a positive in the sense that if individuals use the internet to their advantage, they could work on a lot of self-exploration/fulfilment. There are many different sections of our personas floating around the online and offline world. And therefore it provides brands with information to communicate and sell things to us depending on how we portray ourselves.