We recently connected with Lauren Olivia Serpico and have shared our conversation below.

Lauren Olivia, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

I have been working in the field of social media since 2012, which is just about as long as Instagram has existed. Since this digital world is growing and changing each day, it is no surprise that it is often misunderstood.

I am a social media strategist that uses best practices in social science to help build communities online.

My background is in psychology, and what is typically expected of psych majors is that they are following the path to become a therapist. I took the road less traveled and dedicated my efforts towards research, specifically focusing on the psychology of social media.

Once, I was invited onto a podcast to talk about the work I do. It wasn’t until I started sharing that the hosts realized that I wasn’t a therapist! Oftentimes when people think of the world where social media & psychology meet, their minds go to therapy. While social media can be a great tool for therapists to promote their practice, that is not what I do.

I use my platform to teach rising social scientists how they can pair their education with their intrinsic knowledge of social media to start their careers in this field. I think it’s imperative for the body of knowledge on this topic to have contributions from the generation that already has such a deep understanding in it. I also think it is just as necessary for those who are managing social media accounts to have access to this knowledge.

Following this road less traveled will leave you vulnerable to being misunderstood. A risk I was more than willing to take to pave this path between social science and social media.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

While my professional career dates back to 2012, my interest in this industry dates back to MySpace. I was the one my peers would give their passwords, so I could “pimp out their layout.” For any of you reading that belongs to Gen Z, this was our way of using HTML to express ourselves back in 2004.

As a social media strategist, I use my knowledge of online communities and social science to manage digital accounts for clients. Although popular platforms and trends have changed over the last decade, the core of my work is representing brands or businesses in a way that feels true to them, while catching the attention of their ideal audience.

The project I am most proud of is called Out There Social, which is my digital publication where I share information on the world where social science meets social media. I have been creating content on this topic for the past decade, and have transformed it into an online, monthly magazine that allows me to share my insight and knowledge with those who are interested in working in this field at scale.

Each month, I publish an e-book on a topic within psychology of social media, a video tutorial on creating content, and a travel guide for a city that is ideal for a digital nomad. I recently launched a podcast to accompany it, as well! It has become a fun way for me to engage my community of rising social scientists who are finding their footing on this career path.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

An aspect of being a psychology major that I love is the space to use both your left and right brain.

Those who may be labeled as “non-creatives” are probably “left-brained”, meaning they ruled more by logic. This is what we may think of when we picture the typical scientist. The creatives, or those who are “right-brained” are more imaginative.

Social scientists have to find this balance between the two, and think outside the box in order to come to conclusions on complex issues.

Social scientists that lean towards that left-brain may struggle to understand the career path I paved outside what a typical Psychology Ph.D is thought to do. Those who are more right-brained may struggle to understand the science and calculations necessary to make data-driven decisions in this field.

If you can find a sweet spot of balance between the two, you are a force to be reckoned with.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

If we were on a game show looking for buzzwords on social media, “niche” would be among the top.

In order to build a social media presence, you must identify and understand your niche, or special little corner of the internet. You must also remember to keep social in social media, and consider the humans behind the screens. Building relationships is more important than any viral trend you’ll see online.

Something I tell all of my clients, is that if you talk to everyone, you talk to no one. The more clearly you are able to define who your message is meant for, the more it will resonate, and spread among the community you want to reach.

For me personally, I realized my ideal audience was myself 10-15 years ago. I wanted to create the social media presence I wish I found when I was trying to find my way as a young social science major. So, I began creating content that specifically spoke to psychology majors that were interested in social media, and didn’t really want to become therapists. From there, my content flowed among students in different chapters of Psi Chi (the National Honor Society in Psychology), leading to many speaking opportunities at their virtual meetings. This helped me build genuine connections with those I wanted to reach, leading to the continued growth of my social media audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.outtheresocial.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.laurenserpico
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenserpico
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/drlaurenserpico
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpefZKptNbCtOhLuOZNPUnN3FAZHXS8W-
• Other: www.outtheresocial.com/podcast

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