Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

[Bruno]

The problem is that you're not self-obsessed enough

"In an age dominated by social media where personal photographs are ubiquitous, it becomes important to understand the ways personality is communicated via our appearance," said study researcher Laura Naumann of Sonoma State University. "The appearance one portrays in his or her photographs has important implications for their professional and social life."

With this information, there's always the option of tweaking your image, and thus your personality to the outside world. "If you want potential employers or romantic suitors to see you as a warm and friendly individual, you should post pictures where you smile or are standing in a relaxed pose," Naumann said.

Fuck off.

[Guest]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

What a load of bollocks, shite like this makes me want to sit there in a string vest swilling on a can of John Smiths and shove that on my "personal profile" (if I had one that is)

[Incandenza]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

Bruno, is that really any different than advice like "dress for the job you want to get" or any other improvement through outward appearance self-actualization BS that's been around for a long time?

[Ginger Yellow]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

Does this mean that my refusal to put even a profile pic on Facebook is projecting to potential employers that I'm a vampire?

[Guest]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

It's better than the application I received once from a young lady that directed me to her website, upon which several pictures of her in a state of undress were to be found.

Here's some really truly splendidly insane blitherings on modern day standards. Apologies for linking to the Mail.

[Incandenza]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

Or the invisible man.

edit: to GY

[Guest]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

Many is the wastrel who remains in his skimpies until lunch, hair askew, chin unshaved, emerging from his pit only to slope down the pub for a few bevvies in front of the satellite TV football. It's life, Jim, but not as you'd want your child to lead it.

Letts has been following me, the weird bastard.

[Bruno]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

Inca, I think the difference is that the old advice about making a good impression was predicated on personal interaction - dressing nice for a job interview, acting and looking smart and confident - whereas this seems to be about trying to boil yourself down to a slick digital commercial that people can upload and start making superficial assumptions about, and isn't that wonderful, we can all control how people think of us.

If that's what it's come to, fine and good luck, but note that if you're not an extrovert, then there's no fucking point, as an actual marketing strategy, in publishing a photo that says 'I'm an extrovert!' That will work right up until people actually meet you. If extroversion is what gets you places, then you might learn to be that way instead of rifling through the pointless scads of digital pics of yourself which you've unnecessarily preserved on your hard drive, to find just the right 'This Should Be Me' representation.

(Are employers prescreening people on Facebook as a matter of course now, or is it more today's self-promotion experts offering their online infomercials to potential employers? I'm uninformed about such things.)

[Incandenza]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

I think it's quite common for people to do an online search and try to find job candidates on Facebook and Twitter before interviewing them now. Or so I've heard.

[West End Zuma]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

Yeah, welcome to the world of personal branding.

[The Exploding Vole]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

My friend says we live in the age of self-promotocracy.

I sure as hell wish we didn't.

[Etienne]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

Personally, I think it's people in modern society being incapable of using Roman Numerals correctly that is its worst curse.

[evilC]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

Incandenza wrote:

I think it's quite common for people to do an online search and try to find job candidates on Facebook and Twitter before interviewing them now. Or so I've heard.

So this is why I've failed to get even a reply to the last 20 or so job applications I've made. Curses! I feel more misanthropic than ever now. I must write about how I feel on my Myspace page etc, etc...

[Bruno]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

Don't forget to bleg your readers, Clive.

[evilC]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

Bruno wrote:

Don't forget to bleg your readers, Clive.

"Bleg"?! What's 'bleg'? Either I'm losing touch, or it's a typo.

Now I'm feeling slightly paranoid too!

[Bruno]

Why I hate modern culture, Part MCMIXLKFII...

Well, clearly, the thing to do here is ask your readers, What is a bleg? Can any of you help?