Is all attention good attention? We know that in the entertainment world the overall consensus is yes. But, for everyday people who receive absolutely no royalties for how many times their names are mentioned, is it? Every person is playing to an invisible audience. Although we can sometimes visually see our audience, or some of us the lack thereof, intentions we don’t know, emotions we can’t always read, and opinions cannot be inferred. Is what you portray being seen, or is it being lost in transmission and being brought across as something else? The Invisible audience syndrome often results in a paranoia of looking foolish, being evaluated, and making mistakes. It’s easy to conclude that anyone who is afraid to make mistakes or look foolish will pass on opportunities that could possibly profit bring great results. Being in college especially you have to be able to control these tendencies to succumb to your imaginary audience so that “they” don’t hinder your progress. College is known for the experimentation that takes place on its campuses across the globe; however, the habitual experimentations that take place aren’t known for being positive: binge drinking, fights, partying, skipping classes, drugs, explicit sexuality, etc. Why not experiment with jobs, organizations, studying techniques, internships, protests, and even majors? Maybe because that’s categorized under “doing too much” and we don’t want to fluster our imaginary audience.
In America we are empowered by freedom of speech and expression of self, but we feel awkward helping someone pick up their plate that they dropped in the café. Yes, this has happened. The café was full, and she was carrying a huge plate. In fact, it was so huge that she didn’t even pick up her own plate. She quickly faded into the crowd because she was embarrassed in front of her audience. Only this time, it wasn’t invisible. Their expressions exposed their every thought and made plain their primary sentiment—comedy--. What happens when your invisible audience is made visible? Oh, that’s a game changer. The people for whom you’ve been practicing, their arrival just came. Do you change your actions in any way? Or do you keep giving them the same show? I’ve seen people act completely different when someone is around versus it being just them and maybe one other person. If you’re that easily changed, your character hasn’t been set.
You are now a puppet on a stage reacting to the partialities and indifferences of your imaginary audience, being pulled by their imaginary strings. “They” have hindered your development, and you can’t even pick them out of a lineup. You are a victim of the unanswered question, “Who’s done it!?” Unless, you count yourself as a culprit since this is your monster that you created. Your imaginary audience’s preferences correlate with your insecurities. A person who is uncomfortable asking questions in class assumes that everyone else in class already knows the answer, leaving them to be the only one who’s struggling. Or a woman who has never walked in heels before will feel walking across campus to be a monstrous ordeal because everyone will be looking at her feet wondering why her ankles are trembling. C’mon guys, we have to do better than this. In reality, 90% of the class is just as lost as you are, and 80% of the other girls on campus are looking at your feet and wondering where you got those fabulous shoes. We put thoughts in people’s heads that have never even formed. We see our audience as judgmental ‘frenemies’ who we try to appease at the expense of self. It’s common to do. So, while we’re playing to our imaginary audience, let’s give them something worth watching. Be innovative, respectful, strong, hardworking, courteous, good hearted, honest, and intelligent. These aren’t things often seen; your show will sell out.
You’ve just taken, An Elective on Perspective.
UMES Family!
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