268. Going Viral: How To Balance Authenticity and Spectacle

How to communicate who you are online.

You may not think of yourself as a content creator, but in the creator economy, Angèle Christin says we all have to learn how to communicate who we are online.

Christin is an associate professor of communications at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI. According to her, “we are all content creators now.” We may not all be influencers or podcast hosts, but “We are all putting content out there and creating a public persona,” says Christin. In the digital age, “that plays an increasingly important role in hiring, promotions, and of course, getting laid off.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Christin and host Matt Abrahams explore how to navigate the creator economy — whether as a full-time influencer or a professional managing your online presence. From building on your area of expertise to understanding the trade-offs between short-term hype and long-term trust, Christin explains what it takes to show up online without losing yourself in the algorithm.

Episode Reference Links:

• Angèle Christin
• Ep.225 Speaking Fluent Internet: How Algorithms Are Changing the Way We Speak

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• Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (02:58) - Why Metrics Reward Drama
• (06:25) - Building A Professional Online Presence
• (10:42) - What Makes A Good Story?
• (14:31) - The Reality Of Creator Work
• (18:48) - The Final Three Question
• (21:58) - Conclusion

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