The Trust Agent: A Chapter of, "Am I Doing This Right?"

With personal interaction turning to more of an online channel, staying relevant has become a struggle that could be comparable to survival of the fittest. Who is making the effort, who is doing their research, and who really is trustworthy? During the progressively evolving digital era there are key factors to remember and some of them are found in Chris Brogan’s book Trust Agents. Specifically in chapter nine, The Trust Agent there is some great discussion on how new media provides a platform to humanize yourself or your business, ultimately how to communicate in a digital community and the importance of “making friends”, and lastly how to use the knowledge in the advancement of your career and personal brand.

Although we all know that we are guilty of following those who try to portray a “greater than human” image (you know - the Louis Vuitton wearing , perfect skin, size -2, but “here’s a picture of me eating two double cheeseburgers from In N Out every week because i’m trendy kind”?) Yeah we all follow them. Although we may look to their profiles for a detailed image of perfection - are they really being honest? Unless they have metabolisms that move at the speed of light and cheeseburger grease is what makes their skin glow; I would assume not. Yeah, they probably have some influence on the clothes we buy or the products that we try; however, there are some where it is blatantly obvious that they are trying to spin products to benefit their shopping habits and lifestyle choices. Those are the ones that you see promoting every product as “literally unreal”. Yeah Becky, I bet those gummy bear vitamins have helped your hair grow 4 inches in a month (with no influence from those clip in extensions your last #ad paid for, of course). I guess my point is: you can have a really great feed, promote products, and make really cool content, but what's going to make you trustworthy is your transparency and your ability to humanize yourself and how to make yourself successful while doing it. It’s what’s going to set you apart from the rest of influencers and it’s going to allow you to seem relatable to followers.

So what really makes someone an influencer? Is it the sought after, holy grail of social media status thats in the form of a little blue check? Some might say so; however, what people don’t realize is that their is very little actual one-on-one interaction that goes on between those media figures and their followers. It was mentioned in an earlier chapter on page 69 that, “the wider your network, the easier you get things done.” Although this is true, the larger your following base, the more people you have to advocate your message and brand; the personal aspect of the interaction becomes lost. You are advocating for a person who seems to only be interested in personal gain, rather than a person who is grateful for the support they receive. In some cases this may not be important, many people often look to public figures and could care less if they reply or not. For example, we all are guilty of following at least one Kardashian. Whether it’s because your peers are, to keep up with the social drama or just purely for entertainment. But eight times out of ten I can guarantee you won't expect her to reply to your comment about her products, her personal life or just why Kanye literally never smiles (I don’t get it, how can one person have such a severe case of RBF [resting bitch face, duh]). However, if this person is advocating for a product honestly and is actually responding to questions or concerns from followers instead of ignoring them or hiring a specialist to handle it, you’re more likely to trust this person. This is really crucial to those who are trying to build a trusted brand for themselves. They need people to like them. As it says on page 248, “You need to be liked, and you start becoming likeable by being worthy of being liked. Be kind. Be patient. Be humble. Be on time. Be generous. Be that person you would like to be friends with.” This is such a big thing to remember because media platforms are SOCIAL. They are intended to build relationships and to do so and build a successful career for yourself, you must be liked, you must be a person worthy of being liked, and you need to be trusted.

Co-written by: Miranda Boerger and Brianna Ugalde