#realpeople is a photo campaign in the social media created by @SealCyprus for the project #YouthMindedEU

The social media have conquered our world. Having an online presence may impact how the self is perceived. Differences between our real and online persona can shape not only how others see us but our self- perceptions, creating pressure to be more like the -often superficial- digital versions of ourselves.

Presenting our ideal selves versus our real selves has become prevalent on social media. We come to see ourselves as those we would like to be or that we want people to see rather than who we really are. We then feel forced to promote this idealised version of ourselves through social media.

The people in the 20 portraits presented who they really are behind their online profiles. Their message was simple: “Rather than focusing on creating an ideal online identity, we should better use our time and energy to achieve the goals that will align our real self with our ideal self”.

The portraits were posted in April 2017 on our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sealngocy

You can see all the portraits in the Album #realpeople. All the photos were accompanied by statements from the people portrayed expressing their real selves. We’d love to hear your thoughts on social media and your experiences with online social identity.