I wrote about an opportunity I had recently to speak at the CPRS Currents 2012 conference.  As a panel, we spoke on the themes of Authenticity, Trust and Relationship. During the question period after, one of the delegates mentioned that it seemed as if “Authenticity” was the new buzzword of the day, that she had heard it in every session.  I thought back on that conversation when I read this article today: “Shark Attack at a Local Mall!”  

At the end of the article, the author asks if reader was “fooled” by the photo, why or why not.  I enlarged the photo, planning to look for the tell-tale photo-chops.  But I realized that my “Authentic-o-meter” has been recalibrated. I just intuitively knew the photo was a fake, just like I know emailed warnings/advice are false before I even run them through Snopes.   And… I think it’s because I’ve become jaded–the “I can’t believe that’s real….” has become a perfunctory “Pffft”.

So were I to answer that question today, I think I would say: “Buzzword or no, you had better be as authentic, as truthful, as transparent as is possible, because your audience is daily becoming more jaded, more able to spot BS, quicker to judge, quicker to click on to the next thing.”