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Why us Introverts succeed in Social Media

By on 2015/04/24

When I was a child I was very much aware that I was different to other children. At times I would just think I was weird; my Mum would say I was mature. An expert would tell me I was an introvert. But I had no expert around to explained that to me.

Many people get confused between Introvert and Shy. Shyness is something you can acquire at any stage of your life as well as you can overcome it. However, if you are born an introvert you will die an introvert. It simply sticks with you as your skin.

Being an introvert presents some challenges when it comes to “fit” in society and interact with people. Introverts hate the “chit-chat” and unsubstantial conversations, which makes harder for us to “break the ice” in social events. We simply believe that our busy minds are too full of important and meaningful thoughts to waste time talking about the weather. On the other hand, while we are confident on our knowledge and wisdom –introverts are constantly auto analysing our own abilities and skills- we are rarely seen leading group conversations or speaking to big audiences, as we feel that when we speak out we are ever be able to match what our head is processing. Our thoughts, in our quiet head space talk much better than our trembling voice.

When Internet arrived to the common people, it was revolutionary and life changing for everyone. For introverts, it opened a giant window in which we could communicate to others at the same level of confidence and fluency.

Then again, when I was a child I didn’t know that I was an introvert, so I couldn’t understand why I was different. I just learnt to live with it and find other ways to express myself: I would draw what I saw and who I liked; I would record thoughts and dreams in my diary; I would have penpals from all countries to whom I would tell intimate and profound things I couldn’t tell friends I would meet daily; I would write poetry, then short stories, then a book.

When Internet arrived to the common people, it was revolutionary and life changing for everyone. For introverts, it opened a giant window in which we could communicate to others at the same level of confidence and fluency. Because it wouldn’t need verbal expression, words would travel from mind to machine, without the hassle of hearing your own voice.

Something to consider when recruiting Community Managers: Introversion is a skill to add to your CV.

My penpals and myself would move to email and I would discover the world of chat and forums, spaces where we could write about meaningful stuff. I also changed my drawing pencil for a mouse and a tablet and my diary for a word processor. My poems and editorials began to get published and I got my first job as press journalist. My now computerised drawing skills paid off and I started also a career as graphic designer. Suddenly, my creations, which I thought were just ways to express myself, became sources of income. I started my own blog on creativity. Five years later, I have reached 146,000 reads of my blog, over 3000 LinkedIn contacts and over 3000 followers between Twitter and Facebook. Yet if you meet me at any social event I will be the quiet being at the back of the room, chatting with no more than 2 people at once.

Something to consider when recruiting Community Managers: Introversion is a skill to add to your CV.

 

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