It has become increasingly the norm for people to be or to seek to be aware of what others think of them. Indeed, it is true that our society and the influence it wields on the people living in it is an overwhelming one.
Society has made individuals and its members seek to behave in a certain way, talk in a certain way, and show a certain part of themselves to the outside world. Against this backdrop, society is never or has never been kind to people who have decided to flow against its charted tide and live a life as desired by the individual. Even though such people end up victorious eventually, it has never come without a cost. WeSay is an app designed to help an individual understand his / her social perception.
Why understanding your Social Perception is even more relevant today?
The advent of technology and most significant social media has brought about a wider and more far-reaching dimension to this development, which has always been around anyway. People go beside themselves trying to court societal attention and would go to any length to garner as many followers and admirers as they possibly can, through means that are both legal, and maverick as well.
From the term social perception, it is easy to see that there are two sides of the divide- the individual, and the society, which is the immediate surroundings of the individual. The individual has his views about the society and its demands, and the society is watching the individual with a magnifier and forms an opinion, true or not, thorough or superficial, and moves on and treats him as such. The onus is now on the individual to be generally aware of what impression he or she is making on the society and do the utmost to skew it to his favor. It is too well known that one does not last long with a society that has a bad impression of the individual, in this age of crime, felony, and suicide.
That being said, social perception is a very critical element to an individual’s perpetuation and largely success, apart from the pressure which the society places on the individual to gravitate to its whims.
Social perception can also be an advantage if the individual does his homework well and looks critically at what he should and this is the crux of this discourse. It has been said before and it is true, that sometimes, the voice of man can be the voice of God. Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry, despite the fact that He was God come in the flesh, didn’t really need man’s opinion of Him, yet, he sought to know how the people viewed Him, how He came across to people. Now, if such a perfect Being can care about what effect He was having on people, then, there is no gainsaying that we ought to not just spare a thought but to make conscious effort to make a favorable impression on people and society.
How understanding Social Perception can be an advantage
It is a truism that being aware of how we appear to the outside world has a lot of advantages for us. For starters, the society and the world at large are made up of the people you work with – the teachers and lecturers who will teach you, the boss who has your paycheck, the owner of the stall you will patronize for your supplies, the pastor who has your spiritual back, and a whole lot more. Because our lives revolve around these mini-members of society, it is so important we are aware of how we appear to these people, as we are not planning anytime soon to go live in Mars or lead a hermit life.
Secondly, there can be no genuine pointer to where one is failing than an honest critique, and this, the social world is ready to give at any time, even though it may come with some bruises. It is the fastest way to get a grip of where and how you are not getting it right and make quick amends. In this age of social media and all that comes with it, one of the good things it has done is to at least give most people some sense of self-esteem, even though it is momentary and artificial.
For what it is worth, that could be the difference between suicide and hanging on till the real help comes, for some people. It is true that the sense of self-worth that social media and the kind of perception it gives is not really of the most sustainable kind, but it is worth something, a large thing, to most people. Again, we live in a society where the gains and stakes derivable from successfully appealing to the social public are high. It has enriched a lot of people, taken people places, opened a lot of doors, made them brand ambassadors, lifted them from obscurity, and done a whole lot of positive things for such individuals. But for the most part, it is a way of leveraging an individual’s strengths and tightening up their weaknesses.
Capitalizing on your perception
The gruel of societal criticism is usually devastating, but it can be effective in some ways. Hypothetically, imagine an A-list female artist who has won a lot of awards and is currently in the studio for her next album. But on her social media pages, it is awash with her images scantily dressed and depicting her in a riotous light. The public goes haywire, taking her to the cleaners and giving her a dose of that media troll that made her wish she was not born. Her media team takes it in their stride and gives her some reality check: that album would go nowhere if she does not do a detour and change her appearance. She issues a statement, and from there turns a new leaf. It is accepted magnanimously and her album goes double platinum. Several multinational firms are over themselves begging for her face on their billboards.
Such is the power social perception has and its means of building the individual and making him or her successful.But, it is possible from the comfort of your living room to have these indices at your fingertips- how society feels about you. You need to know how you are perceived by your family and colleagues and what everybody says about you. Questions such as am I loved; friendly, sociable, warm, cruel, and over 600 human traits can be answered in a fell swoop, without having to interact with a soul. This is what the WeSay app seeks to provide. At the touch of the button, you not only have an idea of your rating but even ways to correct it and be progressive from there. Give it a try today and you will be glad you did.
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this write-up and also the rest of the website is really good. Valerye Igor Sergeant