Ekene Moses

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels

I read from someone’s post that online presence is the new OIL.

To be more explicit, this person is coming from a crude oil-producing country. So to must have linked active social media engagement and presence to the money generated from crude oil is not that shocking.

Since the birth of the Internet, which now wrestles shoulder to shoulder with any top global industry to almost surpassing level, and the complimentary advent of Social Media, the interactive technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of everything — ranging from information, ideas, opinions, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. Mainly, individuals and organisations are utilising these platforms to share information and engage with the public.

While already existing celebrities like **[Christiano Ronaldo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CristianoRonaldo) bring their fame to the spotlight on the Internet, every day we witness a growing emergence of regular people like the famous TikToker Khaby Lame **_(that started Tiktok sometime in 2020 but now has over 142m followers as of June 2022) turning into celebrities through the Internet — most people just use the Internet for other primary reasons like connecting with family and friends, following trends, reading news, and even very increasingly searching for jobs.

Although we can argue that most platforms are now filled with AI and robots that respond to messages — in most cases, Social Media platforms are full of people from one end of the world communicating with people on the other end. But like in every human communication, it involves the sender and the receiver — and with one having the upper influence.

Recently, I have been on a quest to experiment what a genuine modern-day human connection really is, especially now that we are all primarily Internet-connected. For that reason, I decided to open myself up more to the public by minimising the security levels on my social media handles and accepting connection requests from people even without a single mutual connection.

“I think that everything that surrounds us has some hidden logic” — Josep Ferrer

After one year of this experiment, my discovery so far led me to publish this and to come up with this observation that can help a person be a better social media direct chatter.

Let’s go…

Understand that you are not the only one.

I started with this quick reminder because every other point that I will raise after this will make more sense having this in mind.

Whatsoever the nudge may be to quickly send that connection request, add that comment, post that content, or even send that direct message — pause to remind yourself that you are not the only one to whom this same thought might have occurred to.

Apply this framework

I am not claiming to be a celebrity or anywhere near one, but recently I have received many connection requests on my Social Media accounts, especially on Facebook and LinkedIn. Remember, I recently experimented with social-human connections using the internet, so I accept all requests. Then I observed a common mass error that made me reflect on my unique approach that I used to get the attention of most of my celebrities to respond to my direct messages or at least engage with my comment on their posts. The error is that immediately after connections, people tend to quickly go to the DM and write ‘Hi, hello, or hey’, and that is it…

Contrarily, observing this framework is the best way to send a direct message to anyone for the first time, whether a celebrity or a regular person.

Framework: Them — You—What Next…

This is simply by bringing to their attention what resonated more with you with their lifestyle, a particular post, or their content. Or as simple as appreciating or acknowledging them — A ‘Them’ Factor

A screenshot of me direct messaging one of the Professors that I admire so much in my field of interest

Take notice of the dates and how I did not send multiple messages after this!

Introduce yourself. This should not be a pitch or a lengthy biography about your life. However, it should still be succinct and captivating enough to capture interest. Remember — everyone is busy, they are busier than you thought, and again, you are not the only one — The ‘You’ Factor.

A direct message from me introducing myself in a way that connects our interests

What next is very tricky because, in most cases, it is optional, although very helpful. Especially if your reason for sending the direct message is to seek assistance or information from the person. I have just thought of what you could say to a celebrity as your ‘What Next Factor’ and came up with these:

a) I am interested in football, acting, music, writing etc... What advice would you have for a younger generation like me?

b) I have been following the information your company posts on their handles, and I am very keen to know more. I hope you do not mind sharing the kind of employees that your company is always looking for? etc

Final thoughts

Although this framework has worked multiple times for me, please acknowledge that individual differences are also there. Some celebrities do not engage with their followers or even follow anyone — so get ready for rejections or everlasting unread messages. 

Furthermore, remember that these are all people. And, people feel comfortable around those who share the same interests and/or values as them — so go on to engage with their posts, like, comment your opinion, and engage with other followers in the comment section. This will even make it easier to get a response when you DM them applying this framework.

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Many thanks for reading my perspective and giving feedback.

My fervent wish is for the personal growth of everyone and the success of all young professionals who put their hearts and souls into finding their purpose in life.

Copyright © Ekene Moses, 2023. All Rights Reserved.

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