What is a public/social image? One that is created by your personality (labels you display while using attire, cells, jewellery, books you read and talk about, social causes you support etc. etc and etc.), or the one others create for you (media as in colleagues, friends, bosses, relatives, in short your peer group, whether at home or outside), or is it YOU?
In the fast-forward world of our times, to a large extent you would say the first two options mentioned above are conducive to making a public image for you. What you wear, how you talk, are you a haute couture follower or a Nike-sporting sports person, do you dance the Samba or the Bharat Natyam, do you Rock or are you Classically Hindustani? What others who don’t know you talk about you, when your back is turned (is a result of your behavior nay personality most often than not), what your attitude communicates to the bosses (when some work is assigned to you), what the relatives make out of you (when they try to take advantage of you and you let them or maybe resist with spunk)?
Yes you are right, the first two options are more at play where a public image is concerned. Do YOU still have a chance to influence your public image? Your personality lends some attributes to your public image, albeit superficial, as they only induce people to think what kind of person you might be. The contributions made by your peers, family, colleagues, bosses to your public image are more lasting and can either be extremely beneficial or detrimental.
YOU can still make a difference, because it is YOU who controls your behavior, choices, it is YOU who builds a personality. In the second case, YOU have limited control, because YOU can influence the people around you through your attitude and reaction (towards work, people, situations etc.) and still lose out, if somebody hates your guts. This is a people skill area, not always to be a winning bet! However, your sincerity towards your work, people and situations ALWAYS can and will speak volumes to people. If one person spoils your public image out of malice, or maybe you have induced him / her to spoil it due to your ATTITUDE in the past, all is still not lost. Drop the ATTITUDE and win ten more people who will vouch for YOU against that one person.