Humility Personal Development & Social Media: Accept mistakes & learn from them

There is agreement on this: Social media are there for self-expression - me and my breakfast, me and my best vacation, me and my new car. With so much consensus, the contradiction appeals to us: Do Facebook and Co. really humble?

Humility on the net?

Some time ago I heard one in Berlin Lecture by Daniel Rehn. It was just after 8 on a Tuesday morning in the Berlin BaseCamp and only a few listeners had gathered at this early hour. It's a shame, because the small breakfast event and subsequent discussion was something completely different than the talk you usually hear in Berlin: Rehn talked about humility. Nothing unusual in itself - but if you know that Rehn is a PR consultant with a focus on social media and therefore belongs to a guild that is generally not inclined towards humility, then it is a little unusual. And that's exactly what it was all about: whether and how self-portrayal takes place in... Internet with humble Behavior agree.

The reservations about this Internet are still great in Germany - I notice this again and again in lectures, seminars, customer talks or even comments on the blog. However, in addition to diffuse Privacy-Fear and sheer ignorance many have yet another Problem with the net: many simply suspect it as a purely self-portrayal medium. Or in short: you lack modesty.

The question arose: Can you be humble on the Internet? On the contrary, isn't it even possible to learn humility from the Internet because it teaches you to admit to your mistakes?

Really sustainable or greenwashing?

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I admit, at first I was skeptical: I have seen too often how such issues are used to give people with rather questionable professional activities a clean slate - “greenwashing” on their own, so to speak. And so I noticed in the discussion that followed that there were differences between real humility and humility for marketing purposes.

What followed was a very exciting and astonishingly philosophical discussion that showed just how much such Ask stirring tempers: is it even possible to be modest on the internet or isn't that a contradiction in terms? And can Companys, who usually move around the net for marketing purposes, to be humble at all or not to blare is absolutely necessary in order to stand out I aufmerksam close?

What counts is the clicks, not the content

The result of our discussion: social media and modesty do not necessarily have to be mutually exclusive. On the contrary, Daniel Rehn summed it up: Of course you can (and must) promote yourself, but what matters is the attitude with which you do it: What ultimately counts is not how many clicks someone gets, but the content. Sachar Kriwoj, director, made sure that we got used to only noticing headlines and clicks Digital Public Affairs at E-Plus, Facebook responsible. Facebook be the end of humility.

So if anything, it's not the network's fault for the lack of modesty, but what we make of it. Because, so our conclusion on that day: It is not important on the Internet to be the most beautiful, smartest and greatest, but to be Background to share – while acknowledging that there are things others know better than we do. I would even go one step further and say that the internet forces us to be very humble. Someone once tweeted that a round in the Berlin S-Bahn ring teaches humility. I say: Start blogging.

Because thanks to social media we can Welt express our knowledge or opinions. This also means that we put our statements up for discussion. An ideal place to learn – provided we have the necessary ability to reflect. The Internet, for many the medium par excellence for narcissistic self-portrayal, should teach us modesty, even force us to do so?

What to do if the readers insult you

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Yes, because in no other medium before have our mistakes been rubbed in front of our noses so mercilessly and immediately. Just think of the fall of Herr zu Gutenberg. I also have my own personal experiences: In 2009, my readers began to comment on my blog, partly angry and partly polemical, against the generally propagated thesis of the shortage of skilled workers. And they accused me of having no idea about the subject, which initially came as a shock to me.

Because I took the comments seriously and didn't immediately block or ignore them, a dialogue that lasted for years ensued, in which they repeatedly drew my attention to media reports or the latest research results, e.g. from the DIW - material to sift through I would not have been able to do this due to lack of time. A few hundred comments later, the initiative Wir sind VDI was founded, which has now also aroused the interest of institutions such as DGB and is referenced in Wikipedia.

The internet forces us to turn away from perfectionism

However, the example also shows that the Internet confronts us with fundamental structural changes: Suddenly there is always someone who has more knowledge about a topic and always ours Expertise question. But we're just not used to constant criticism, in our perfectionist world Society there is no tolerance for mistakes. The need to learn from this is often just theory for many.

The first impulse is then often a panic-like shock rigidity or angry defense. And this is exactly where the Internet is forcing us to do better: Because who on this public Criticism reacting defiantly or in a self-important way is quite harmful fast its good reputation. And anyone who tries to cover up mistakes will most likely be exposed. Both are shown not least by the case of the former Prime Minister Christian Wulff.

Dealing with criticism properly

So we have practically no other Choicethan to rethink - away from perfectionism towards acceptance of one's own mistakes and shortcomings. And that's a good thing, because that's how the internet makes us do it, even when Personality to learn. But this relearning is not light, then, Hand honestly, who likes to be criticized? An important aspect when dealing with criticism is to think about it objectively instead of freaking out on the spot, which unfortunately happens often enough on the internet. Once we are met by a statement feel, we should pause for a moment, think objectively and slowly answer a few questions:

• What exactly am I thinking and feeling right now?
• What importance do I attach to these words or actions?
• How do I know I'm guessing right?
• What exactly was said?
• Who said that?
• Is he competent in this area?
• Is his opinion important to me?
• Which wording was used?
• What is this really a criticism of me or a claim?
• Or am I just interpreting this statement as a demand or criticism?
• Why exactly do I feel hit?
• Is the criticism justified?
• And what can I do realistically and appropriately better for the situation?

Those who, instead of blocking all criticism, reflect on the criticism of their actions, will learn to deal with them better. He will recognize which criticism is justified and which was expressed with an intention. And ultimately he will be able to react to criticism more confidently and deliberately. And in all of this, the changed communication habits play a decisive role.

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