We all want our leaders and business partners to be likable and empathetic. However, we also know there’s a lot of ambiguity over what it means to be empathetic in our everyday social media life. To understand more about what empathy means on social media, we invited PR & Twitter marketing expert, Carrie Eddins, to our chat. Here’s a summary of our chat.
Guest: Carrie Eddins
Topic: Showing empathy on social media
Format: Eight questions directed at the guest. Everyone’s welcome to share.
Empathy is important on social media because it creates connection between people.
Q1 Empathy creates emotional connection which is what we all crave; without it our social media experience lacks meaning #TwitterSmarter 1
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
When you’re being empathetic to someone, it makes them feel safer around you. Without empathy, our social media experience won’t have a lot of meaning.
A1 when you have empathy esp given what’s happened in the last 2 years people feel safer with you, so then they want to get to know you better 2 #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/qsBM9NW2x7
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
When people are comfortable around you and trust you that’ll automatically translate to sales and success. However, being empathetic doesn’t necessarily mean that you get a lot of sales overnight. It is a slow process. You just have to trust the process and learn to be patient.
A1 Emotional= emotional connection = safety = receptivity to what you have to say-so in business this leads more easily to = sales -though there’s no “quick empathy fix,” it takes as long as it takes ! 😂#TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/UC7ArNNcuX
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
It looks like our own Madalyn Sklar, according to our guest. Madalyn’s daily tweets offer encouragement, support, cheers, and overall positivity.
A2 it looks like @MadalynSklar who embodies this tweet by tweet!
With her encouragement , support, cheerleading, sending uplifting Gifs 1/ #TwitterSmarter
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
There are also many other Twitter users who show empathy. Our guest gave a special shout-out to Deb Coman, Michelle Garrett, Tax Thornton, Tracey Tait, Fred Blumenberg, Lucy Hall, Lori Anding, Winnie Sun, and Julia Bramble. Engage with them to observe how these different people show empathy in their everyday interactions.
A2 others who do this well are @DebComanWriting @PRisUs @TazThornton @TraceyTait_1 @TheRealFredLee @LucysHall @southbaysome @winniesun @JuliaBramble so do check them out 😘🙏🏻#TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/qpnsbGS8oW
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
To put it plainly, being empathetic means to hold space for someone without bias or judgment. It’s not easy, especially when emotions are involved. It takes time, which is why it’s important to practice constantly.
A2 it’s really holding space for people without judgement, which can be tricky when we get triggered! #TwitterSmarter 3/ pic.twitter.com/t6astZ8ys3
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
You can start by spreading love and positivity.
A2 at times it is just sending positivity to others, love, kindness, acceptance too #TwitterSmarter T/4 pic.twitter.com/lKqtxLLfpE
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
Empathy takes different forms, but the one thing that never changes is that it’s all about being there for another person. Don’t take things personally—if someone’s lashing out at you, it’s possibly not directed entirely towards you. Try and be kind and understanding.
A2 and it’s about being kind, gentle, non-judgemental and loving to ourselves so not taking any negativity personally which can be hard!! #TwitterSmarter 5/ pic.twitter.com/nuIZXpwsLr
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
Definitely not. Empathy is the key to any good relationship. While customer service reps should have empathy towards their customers, it never ends there. Everyone should have empathy for each other, whether it’s for the person we walk past on the street or the person we share our home with.
A3 absolutely not; it’s a key ingredient for all our relationships with ourselves, with the world and everything and everyone we encounter yup to me it’s that important!!!!😘#TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/uUEUPEGpLl
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
As Laura nicely put it, everyone should have empathy because that’s what makes us people. And people like to connect with people.
A3: Empathy is important to anyone that wants to connect with an audience.
People connect with people! #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/B9CGgjC7xN
— Laura Denny (@ldcreativemedia) August 18, 2022
So the world will have you believe. But no, showing empathy is never a sign of weakness. You can be empathetic and have strong boundaries.
A4 not remotely although some people still view it as such! You can be empathetic and have boundaries which some people do not get #TwitterSmarter /1
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
In fact, as Madalyn pointed out, showing empathy takes a lot of courage. When you show empathy, you show that you’re willing to be vulnerable and that helps build a stronger bond.
A4: Showing empathy is never a weakness. Being able to communicate that you understand or share the feelings of another is only going to cultivate a stronger bond. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/vu0SZTjQRm
— Madalyn Sklar Digital Marketing since 1996 (@MadalynSklar) August 18, 2022
Many people who consider empathy as a weakness do so because they don’t show empathy for themselves. Because of this, they fail to see how empathy can make us feel more connected with each other.
A4 this is why for me empathy is pretty nuanced as some critics of it don’t really understand how it works often this is because they do not have empathy for themselves so they are their own weakness link # TwitterSmarter /2 pic.twitter.com/Jnuzv0vEHo
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
Referring to Brené Brown’s work, Carrie said empathy triggers an emotional connection between people. We all feel safe around people who show us empathy. Without that, there can’t be trust—in everyday life or business.
A4 for this just consider @BreneBrown work on vulnerability it’s connected back to emotional connection without this there’s not that or any safety or trust which for me is actually a weakness #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/AxDBWggiZu
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
Our guest also outlined that it’s hard to give a logical explanation for empathy because it’s not necessarily something you think about. It’s something you feel.
A4 I just feel that a lot of people do not know how to be empathetic and often want a logical explanation of it 🙈/3 #TwitterSmarter but that’s never going to happen as it’s emotional /3 pic.twitter.com/it975OIAND
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
Carrie recommended looking at the empathy map created by Dave Gray. It helps you identify where you are in the map of their heart and understand how the other person might be feeling at the time.
A4 there’s an amazing process which can help with empathy called an “Empathy map,” created by @davegray so u can place yourself on the map in their heart and understand more easily where they might be coming from it’s incredible #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/zVT0PrI8hE
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
It helps you connect with your audience easily because when you’re empathetic, your audience wants to be around you. The more happy and confident they are in your presence, the easier it is for you to establish a relationship.
A5 when you are empathetic, it’s much easier to connect with your audience, because they will feel safer, less alone and feel like they have someone who understand their issues = priceless #TwitterSmarter 1/ pic.twitter.com/PMeqTObXNw
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
When you show empathy, the other person will naturally reciprocate. This is because they feel like you understand and value them, and they want to respond in kind.
A5 with empathy there’s a receptiveness from them because they feel you get them 😘❤️🩹🎯#TwitterSmarter 2/ pic.twitter.com/LdqW2tAAaW
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
Once you’ve established that connection, you become part of their network. They’ll start to involve you more and more in their everyday social media interactions.
A5 once you have empathy with your audience, it’s much easier to connect with them, because they feel safe, so much of this is about safety and acceptance-they feel you get them and accept and understand them 😘#TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/bPzpG8D8Y3
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
As our friends from GiveWP pointed out, empathy fulfills three basic needs all humans have on social media: to be seen, heard, and understood.
A5) People want to feel seen, heard, and understood. Empathetic communication allows for all three. #TwitterSmarter
— GiveWP 🌻 (@GiveWP) August 18, 2022
Firstly, it’s because a lot of people on social media focus a lot on quantifiable metrics and forget the value of life skills.
A6 for me largely because too much focus is on “hard skills,” like data, metrics etc because they are much more measurable #TwitterSmarter 1/ pic.twitter.com/ezY6Ap5Vsa
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
Since empathy isn’t as easily measurable as the number of impressions, many ignore it as too hard to achieve. It looks different to different people, which means it’s not always “efficient” and “optimizable”—the foundation of modern social media.
A6 yet to measure or quantify empathy is not logical or a box-ticking exercise it’s emotional and different for everyone so can be seen as too much, too difficult or even a waste of time as it’s not “efficient!” #TwitterSmarter 3/ pic.twitter.com/zXCzXjCAtT
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
Empathy is a necessary soft skill. It’s just as important as quantifiable metrics, because without empathy, you can’t connect with people in the first place.
A6 empathy is often considered a ‘soft skill,’ for me it’s a necessary warrior like skill that we all need for our daily lives #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/2R5ADkdMny
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
When you show empathy, people will naturally respond to you and resonate with you, regardless of the hundreds of differences between you.
A7When you are empathetic people, are much more likely receptive to who you are and what you are about despite any differences of opinion, lifestyles, gender, background or race or. T/1 #TwitterSmarter people simply warm to you pic.twitter.com/1vOhVZDfFQ
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
When people resonate with you, they become open-minded. Even if you have many differences, they’ll be willing to hear what you have to say because they trust you.
A7 this means that they are open to what you have to say, and what you do which is a game-changer on social media as everyone wants this!! Those who get it for me are empathetic certainly on the long term! #TwitterSmarter 2/ pic.twitter.com/0muBJz8CDf
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
Once you’ve got to a point where people trust you and like what you do, they’ll start to automatically talk about you with their friends. They’ll recommend you and cheer you on, even if they don’t require your services or products. They’ll continue to support you because you now share an emotional bond.
A7 this willingness to connection with you when you are empathetic allows you to nurture a safety and trust with them so they naturally will start to recommend you to all of their friends etc this is what we all want right!? #TwitterSmarter T3 pic.twitter.com/d2kDn1FuvK
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
In other words, if done well, showing empathy could be the next big marketing strategy. You don’t have to trick people to influence their behavior—you just have to be nice.
A7 for me when done right empathy is the best possible l relationship builder and even the best marketing strategy out there to influence people’s behaviour !! I know but I feel it’s true !❤️🩹😅😘#TwitterSmarter /4
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
Just remember, though, as with any relationship, if your empathy isn’t genuine, you will get caught. And it won’t be nice.
A7 my only caveat is that your empathy needs to be genuine or it will not work out in the end ! So you have to meant it sincerely which is the thing #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/bcYmmMdKwd
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
Diplomatic answer: depends. How you should respond to your troll should depend on who you are and how they’re spamming or trolling you.
A8 this is tricky as it depends on who you are and how they spamming or trolling impacts you .#TwitterSmarter t1 pic.twitter.com/J4QWI81U10
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
Sometimes, if you’re highly sensitive, and they cross a line, you can remain silent and ignore them.
A8 If you are highly sensitive, or an empath they remaining neutral is key and realising “ it’s not your circus not your monkeys,’ ie it’s not personal but it can be tough I get it! #TwitterSmarter 1/ pic.twitter.com/fafbzGAiD9
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
You can also mute or block them to weed them out of your feed. As our guest suggested, you can also try engaging with them to dissolve the tension.
A8 you can dis-engage by muting them or blocking them and even looking at chatting with them to understand and be empathetic with them woth @TazThornton is amazing at ! Check out her socials she’s incredible at this #TwitterSmarter 2/
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
At the end of the day, it’s your social handle and you have to do what’s best for you. Sometimes it means engaging with a troll to figure out what’s triggered them, but other times, it could mean ignoring them altogether.
A8 ultimately you have to do what feels right for you. For me, I try although sometimes fail (lol) to not take it personally and realise that I am triggering them, hence their behaviour . 3 #TwotterSmarter
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
If you realize that a troll or spammer has upset your peace, then find ways to calm yourself down. Do things that help you feel at peace again. It’s not always glamorous, but it may be just what you need.
A8 if I am triggered by them I need to process why which I often do on my journal and find my lessons and forgive them and find empathy for them, although this can be messy & not always easy 🙈#TwitterSmarter /4 pic.twitter.com/tdbDDzqBSJ
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
No matter how hard it gets, remember that showing empathy is always worth it. If, at any point, you can’t bring yourself up to it, aim for neutrality, at least. Anything but negativity—there’s too much of that going around already.
A8 ultimately however you get to empathy it’s worth it for me as what you focus on expands and it’s only going to make you feel worse and low. If empathy is hard go for neutrality! #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/l1G9QZevEv
— Carrie Eddins (She /her) (@blondepreneur) August 18, 2022
Well folks, that’s all from me this week. Thanks for reading through and for more great insights from our chat with Carrie, have a look at this Twitter Moment that Joana put together for us. If you like this summary, you’ll love the real-time chat. Join us next Thursday at 1 pm ET for #TwitterSmarter. We also have an after-chat on Twitter Spaces at 5 pm ET. See you there!
About me, Narmadhaa:
I write all the things—marketing stuff to pay the bills; haiku and short stories so I feel wholesome. A social media enthusiast, I hang out with the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and am always happy to take on writing gigs.
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