So whats’ a stereotype have to do with your online image? Absolutely everything.

Stereotypes are the mechanism by which we make decisions about people on the internet. We do this because the internet really is limited in what information it can provide about a person.

We, as people, need stereotypes when we are in situations where we have limited information. The internet is a perfect example of having limited information. For most people, the information people are able to find using your name provides very limited insight into who you are. However, using a stereotype, a person is able to make sense of what they found by applying a stereotype based on what they found.

Your online image is crafted in the mind of the beholder. As in real life, we all make snap judgments because of the necessity to make decisions based on very limited information. The process of making these decisions is often automatic and depends greatly on what experiences we have had in our lives, the culture we live in, and the stereotype biases we have.

Negative vs. Positive Stereotypes

Stereotypes take quite a bit of flak, because of negative cultural use of stereotyping. The whole discipline of political correctness exists to counter negative stereotyping. The problem with stereotyping is when we apply negative stereotypes to people.

Negative stereotypes that characterize people based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, political stance, are generally too limiting to make correct judgment and always unfair to the person. If you have ever been on the receiving end of a negative stereotype you know exactly how unfair those stereotypes are.

Positive stereotypes are often not as noticible as a negative stereotype, but they exist. Positive stereotypes are stereotypes your culture has placed value in. For example, the stereotype of “Scientist” confers several attributes such as intelligent, methodical, groundbreaking, etc.

Understanding the stereotypes that shape and form your online image will be vital to effectively controlling your online image. Knowing the stereotype that you want to portray will be how you effectively manage what people think about you.

WhooRu Image Specailists help you determine what your sterotype should be.  We take it a step further to help you effectively communicate the positive characteristics of that stereotype.  Call WhooRu today 1-877-2WHOORU (1-877-294-6678) to get started today.

As always, be careful out there,

Aaron Francesconi
CEO and Founder of WhooRu