Margot Robbie arrives for the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February ... [+]
In the age of self-preoccupation and indulgence, of constant trumpeting about our accomplishments, it’s refreshing to see the social media presence of Margot Robbie.
The actress, who is headlining the new movie Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey in an explosive performance, has an understated, almost peaceful presence on Instagram, Twitter, and other platforms.
Her Twitter profile simply reads this way: “Aussie, Actor.” She doesn’t post that often, but when she does, her comments light up like fireworks at night.
On Instagram, she posted over the weekend with just one word: Oscars. At last count, the picture of her and husband Tom Ackerley has accumulated over 1.9 million likes and 3,700 comments, most of them acknowledging how the star is so likable, fun-loving...and even relatable.
This is contrary to her movie roles, of course.
One of her best performances was in the movie Bombshell in which she plays a composite character named Kayla Pospisil. Her standout role, though, was when she played the figure skater Tonya Harding in the 2017 movie. It’s interesting to me because, in that film, she inhabits the personality of a real-life person.
This is a versatile actor who obviously doesn’t want her social media profile to define who she is.
We can learn a lot about the value of social media from that.
In many ways, when social media is a communication vehicle, it can thrive. Robbie is revealing exactly what she wants to reveal about herself and her career. We don’t know everything. You could argue that we don’t know anything. And yet the posts she does offer up are finely controlled and perhaps even scheduled by handlers. We don’t know for sure, and that’s the point.
Brands and influencers can learn from this approach. It’s measured, it’s controlled — never desperate. There are a few glimpses here and there, but it’s not an outpouring of vitriol or hate, it’s not a constant stream of political dissidence meant to overwhelm us. There’s a place for that...if you are a political activist. I’m not against sharing strong opinions on social media, but when the platform becomes nothing more than a series of soapbox stances, it doesn’t really work.
I’ll take a more measured approach that is more like a river than a firehose. It tells me this is someone who wants to keep acting and make that the focus. It comes across in her feed — this is meant to be a side activity, a small peek into the process. It’s not the full picture. There’s a sense she wants to let the work speak for itself.
Maybe Robbie just doesn’t care that much about social media. Maybe she doesn’t have the time because she’s actually doing the work and letting the work speak for itself. Maybe she’s too busy having fun and enjoying the limelight.
I’m not sure about the reasoning, but one thing is clear — other influencers, companies, and personalities should model this behavior.
