[secondary artif@cts]

You're Doing it Wrong - Vol 31 - Networking

tapenoisediary:

1. You’re in the marketing, social media, or whatever business that requires some promotion to get your business rolling.
2. You create an account on Twitter.
3. You put yourself a nick[name] or some dumb ass handle instead of your real name.
4. You have less than 20 updates.
5. You are already following thousands of users.

I see this all the time with some people. Dang it, i’m breaking number 3. But I’m here to tell you, my name is Ryan Boyles and i’m a real boy. LOL

Negative Identification

Negative identification is the process by which one attempts to define himself not by the sum of his own actions, beliefs, or customs, but by his reaction to the actions, beliefs, and customs of others which he sees as bad. In other words, with negative identification, one does not identify himself as what he is or has to potential to be, but as what he is not or does not wish to be.

This is like defining what a chair is without mentioning that it might have legs or is meant for sitting on, but rather by the fact that it is not an elephant or a shampoo bottle. It is profoundly inefficient and ultimately meaningless.

The average internet commentor attempts to define himself in this manner. He believes that perpetual defamation will provide others with an image of person who is educated and analytical. However, he only succeeds in characterizing himself as a meaningless void.

This is why I have taken a liking to Tumblr in the few days I have been using it. People’s posts are fragments — a picture they thought was cool, an Onion article that made them laugh, an anxiety in their job or relationship — the tiny little pieces that ultimately add up to a definition of an individual human being.