Like Me: Generation Z and the Use of Social Media for Personal Branding

Building a personal brand in this modern age, where technology and social platforms redefine the way individuals interact, has become a necessity, especially for the young generation Z which are increasingly involved in the online medium. A personal brand conveys an individual's identity and distinctiveness and it has become an important tool for young individuals that enables them to achieve success regardless of their status: they can be young professionals in search for a job, public speakers, bloggers, managers or entrepreneurs. In this context, this paper focuses on Generation Z and the importance of building a personal brand in the age of social media. Taking into consideration the recent development of personal branding tools and social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, the aim of this paper is to investigate the degree in which young individuals, belonging to Gen Z, understand the benefits of social media personal branding in order to create a strong online identity to help them at the start of their career. It is specifically interesting to discover how Gen Z individuals appreciate the efficiency of personal branding through social media outlets, considering that they belong to a generation known for being digital and tech-savvy, more so than their predecessors.