Can you introduce yourself?

AT THE RISK of betraying the generation one belongs to, a look back at socializing among young people in the 1960s was the practice of the inter-school “soirees.” Here classes from two schools (before the co-ed trend) were brought together for an afternoon. The occasion for the snack session may be to discuss books or play parlor games. There were to be sure connections already existing like common friends or distant cousins in the two groups.

Now online social media has taken care of not-so-blind dating opportunities… for all ages.

Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg as a student (along with others) in 2004 started a website for Harvard students to rate coeds, determined by online voting of male schoolmates on the hotness index. With such humble beginnings, FB and its founder made history.

Does one still need to introduce himself in public?

Self-introduction is no longer limited to describing an individual. Group photos from other sources as well as shared posts commenting on third parties tend to give a more complete personality profile. The individual and his group provide a context of the social connections and interests of the person.

Certain occasions can sit strangers together as in a wedding or a wake. Here, self-introductions are limited to connection with the principals in the event — I was a classmate of your father.

Team-building sessions in companies with a new management team use a warm-up activity entailing an exercise to “talk about yourself.” This can be limited to interests and travel history — I am a stamp collector. There is the HR file anyway that provides a more objective profile of the subject as related to his job.

Self-introductions of politicians, even in a small gathering, are usually unnecessary. Somebody else parts the crowd and announces the entry of the center of attention. The leaflets proclaiming the accomplishments of a candidate highlight even the most obscure accomplishment. (He was chosen as having the cleanest lunchbox in kindergarten.)

The biodata of job applicants can be works of fiction. The line between receiving copies of a report and being its author is blurred. A frequently absent team member of a task force can end up proclaiming himself as its head.

On television, when a resource person is invited to provide expertise and context to an issue, say the impact of the blockage of a particular waterway on the prices of vegetables, the video tag gives his name and title as an energy economist. No proof is offered.

What is the basis for the self-anointed expert? No one checks what papers he wrote on a particular subject, any relevant academic degrees he has, or positions in organizations involved in the sector. It is enough that he chooses to give himself a label.

Spokesmen for industry sectors need not have any formal designations for their expertise. They just need to be available for ambush interviews. Or they can post their opinions on social media. Their opinions are sought to represent the sector they speak for (or against).

Advocacy groups can provide strong opinions on any topic. Placards are no longer in vogue. The talking head on the net is all that’s needed. He may not even have any “followers.”

Should we be wary of self-appropriated titles and declared competencies? Media, with its training for skepticism and double-checking of facts, can be swayed by self-descriptions provided by the interviewee before an online podcast.

With the danger of “identity theft,” self-descriptions that apply to somebody else are now a cyber-fraud risk with the rise of online transactions. Is the person who identifies himself as a wealthy depositor simply a hacker? (Please don’t click on the link.)

It’s refreshing to encounter introductions that are self-deprecatory. Anyone not taking himself seriously must be on the level. Still, his claim of lacking expertise on the subject at hand must disqualify him from further comment, except to provide perhaps some comic relief.

Because of the short-attention span of even the elderly, it is best to limit one’s introduction to a name. It’s best to wait for the response — so what are you doing here? (I’m glad you asked.)

Is it better to be introduced by a third party? There is no need to interrupt and correct the description. Any hype will be exposed… after one brief conversation.

Tony Samson is chairman and CEO of TOUCH xda.

ar.samson@yahoo.com