Those who do not follow the media are not informed. Those who do follow the media get biased information. Or even wrong information. Fake News.
Fake News is not new, folks. Many urban legends were of course already Fake News, to name but one. Today, news reports about miraculous resurrections reach us at the speed of digitalization. Simply via Facebook. And of course, it is not all true.
Fake News is timeless. We live with it and accept that there will always be naïve believers.
We can live with Fake News. Fake News is sometimes quite entertaining. There is no other option than to accept the believing naives. Everyone has the right to their own truth.
But then: Fake People. They have always been there, I know. But still. I can say that I have never encountered so many Fake People in my life. Not you, you say? Are you sure?
Learn to recognize them, the Fake People.
First of all there is their physical appearance.
Fake People have a bricked expression. Unchangeable and unflappable.
Always a seeming smile on the lips.
Or always a bit haughty.
Or always civilized.
Or always arrogant.
Or always friendly.
Always.
Haughty or friendly or conceited or supercilious; the form chosen does not matter. It is the constancy that makes it unbelievable. Varied is real.
Further – after all, I wrote 'first of all', so you expect a sequel from me and that's what you get – there is usually selective vision. You are not seen. Others are seen, noticed, greeted enthusiastically, embraced or sometimes avoided. Not you. For Fake People, you are air. Even when they cross your path. When they almost bump into you or when you share a table with them and try to guard your territory. When you are carrying something heavy and they almost bump into you empty-handed. They do not see you.
You don't matter. That is to say; if you don't 'matter' to these people. If you do matter, they see you and others don't. You are seen, noticed, greeted exuberantly, embraced or sometimes conspicuously avoided. Others are not. For Fake People, many people are made of air. Today they = tomorrow you, but that's not what we're talking about now.
Fake People talk in a complicated way. Their choice of words and the way they construct sentences is quite – ahem – strange. Many, many words. Vague words too, like to fly or frame of reference or final concept. Mission statement I just heard a high potential cackling at the problem owner.'Come on now,' I think.
By the way, Fake People don't ask questions, right? Haven't noticed yet? Probably now. Fake People don't listen to other Fake People either. They listen to themselves. Everything is a choice.
If you are sitting across from Fake People, you will notice that Fake People are generous with exorbitant invitations. Are you being given an invitation? Stay realistic. Invitations that go beyond 'a cup of coffee' are intended for the stage.
By the way, keeping in touch with local Fake People is a lot harder than with – let’s say – my Lappish friend Sami Luhtahnmäki. Sami is always available. In real life, there are no distances.
Fake People, on the other hand, are very far away. They are never available, even if their WhatsApp status says they are. They don't text, they don't email, they don't call back. The invitation for lunch, brunch or a weekend of golf in Portugal was for show.
Myself, dear reader, I am a marketing specialist and an executive coach. I know all about positioning and branding and how you can profile yourself as an individual, as a human being. Profile as in; successfully standing and developing yourself. Who Faked, is far removed from that.
Where all these Fake People suddenly come from and why, I don't know. But Fake People burden your mind, rob you of your space and steal your time.
Stay away from Fake People. Be Real.