Scroll through LinkedIn or Instagram these days, and it’s easy to feel like everyone’s turned into a brand.
Every bio is polished. Every post is curated. We’re told to be “authentic” — but only in ways that generate engagement. Even vulnerability has become part of the marketing strategy.
We’re not just sharing who we are.
We’re selling it.
But long before social media, Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard warned about this kind of life — one that’s lived for appearance, performance, and applause. He called it the aesthetic life. And while it looked impressive on the surface, he believed it was quietly killing the soul.
The Aesthetic Life: Looking Good, Feeling Empty
In The Sickness Unto Death, Kierkegaard describes a life that avoids real responsibility by staying on the surface. The person living aesthetically seeks stimulation, beauty, status — but avoids depth, inwardness, and the risk of truly being known.
Sound familiar?
Today, the aesthetic life has a digital face. We build personal brands, track our reach, and present curated versions of ourselves to the world. But often, it leaves us exhausted, anxious, and disconnected from who we really are.
Why? Because no matter how good the brand looks… It’s still a mask.
Self-Promotion vs. Selfhood
Kierkegaard believed the greatest task in life is to become your true self — the one God created you to be. But in a culture obsessed with visibility and personal marketing, we often mistake attention for identity.
When every post, caption, and “thought leadership” take is shaped by what others might think, we slowly drift from the inner life. We become what gets the most likes. And in the process, we stop asking the deeper questions:
What do I believe?
What matters to me?
Who am I becoming when no one’s watching?
When “Authenticity” Is Just Another Strategy
Social media loves to talk about being “authentic” — but even authenticity can be monetised. We’re encouraged to share our struggles, as long as they’re relatable. Be real, but not too messy. Vulnerable, but on brand.
Kierkegaard would’ve seen right through it. To him, real authenticity isn’t about how others perceive you — it’s about standing alone before God. Not as a brand. Not as a persona. But as a soul.
Becoming Yourself Is Not a Marketing Campaign
One of Kierkegaard’s central themes is that true selfhood can’t be performed. It must be lived. And it involves risk — the risk of not being liked, not being followed, not being understood.
But that’s where the real work begins.
Not in branding yourself — but in becoming yourself.
So, What Would Kierkegaard Say Today?
He wouldn’t say “delete your Instagram.” But he would challenge us to stop mistaking performance for purpose. To stop polishing the mask and ignoring the self beneath it. And to rediscover the kind of truth that can’t be posted, scheduled, or optimised.
Because when the applause fades and the algorithm changes, who’s left?
💡 If you’re tired of curating a life and want to rediscover who you really are beneath the noise, Kierkegaard might be the guide you didn’t know you needed. Don’t forget to check out The Sickness Unto Death: A Modern Translation for the 21st Century