There is something I must confront and inevitably overcome if I am going to continue this daily writing challenge.
I can’t help but feel like people are giving a part of themselves away to get attention online.
Something has shifted in the last few years that has made me feel unsettled. It’s possible that this feeling has been amplified because I work in digital marketing, which means that I spend a large amount of time on social media.
It used to be a place where you shared your life and interacted with people you really knew. In the early days of Facebook, I would procrastinate on doing my homework by talking to people on FB messenger. Or I would send Snapchats to my friends to see what they were doing. Now, I feel like I’m having less and less interactions with real people online, and instead I am scrolling endlessly despite not wanting to at all. It’s become a real addiction, one that I think many are in heavy denial about.
Because there is the possibility of success from having a large social media following, people feel the need to promote themselves as if they are a brand or influencer. And this is what is at the core of what’s troubling me. If you have a hobby that you love and want to share with the world—great. More power to you. But I feel like I am spending more and more time with “influencers” on TikTok or Instagram and less time with people in real life. And this creates an atmosphere in which people feel like they need to be like influencers instead of being themselves.
It’s tricky—people who are creative, whether they write or make videos or music or art, will want to put their creations out in the world. But in today's social media environment, how many of those creative people would continue making their creations if nobody saw them at all?
I am aware that due to my own internal struggles with this question, I am projecting by calling out this culture of “influencing.” The irony is that by starting this daily writing challenge, I am participating in the social media influencer culture. I do want people to read what I write, which ultimately leaves me feeling like I am feeding my own ego in pursuit of creative output.
My only solution is that by writing in a way that is completely honest, I can come to terms with what’s going on in my life. The more I can say to myself, “I would continue doing this even if no one paid any attention,” the more I know I’m on the right track. But it’s so hard to be vulnerable. My stomach turns in a knot every time I think about who might read this.
So then why use social media at all? Why not go off the grid, throw my phone off a cliff, and live a non-digital life?
I’ve certainly considered it. It’s easy to think that we can just throw away the problem and magically everything will get better. But it’s not realistic, we’re too far gone at this point. We use technology for our news and information, for our jobs and livelihood, for seemingly everything. It’s up to the end user (aka you and me) to decide how the technology best fits into their life.
And remember, having an influence up close (e.g., helping a friend, showing genuine kindness to someone in need) will almost always be more meaningful than having an “influence” on millions of people from afar.
There is something I must confront and inevitably overcome if I am going to continue this daily writing challenge.
I can’t help but feel like people are giving a part of themselves away to get attention online.
Something has shifted in the last few years that has made me feel unsettled. It’s possible that this feeling has been amplified because I work in digital marketing, which means that I spend a large amount of time on social media.
It used to be a place where you shared your life and interacted with people you really knew. In the early days of Facebook, I would procrastinate on doing my homework by talking to people on FB messenger. Or I would send Snapchats to my friends to see what they were doing. Now, I feel like I’m having less and less interactions with real people online, and instead I am scrolling endlessly despite not wanting to at all. It’s become a real addiction, one that I think many are in heavy denial about.
Because there is the possibility of success from having a large social media following, people feel the need to promote themselves as if they are a brand or influencer. And this is what is at the core of what’s troubling me. If you have a hobby that you love and want to share with the world—great. More power to you. But I feel like I am spending more and more time with “influencers” on TikTok or Instagram and less time with people in real life. And this creates an atmosphere in which people feel like they need to be like influencers instead of being themselves.
It’s tricky—people who are creative, whether they write or make videos or music or art, will want to put their creations out in the world. But in today's social media environment, how many of those creative people would continue making their creations if nobody saw them at all?
I am aware that due to my own internal struggles with this question, I am projecting by calling out this culture of “influencing.” The irony is that by starting this daily writing challenge, I am participating in the social media influencer culture. I do want people to read what I write, which ultimately leaves me feeling like I am feeding my own ego in pursuit of creative output.
My only solution is that by writing in a way that is completely honest, I can come to terms with what’s going on in my life. The more I can say to myself, “I would continue doing this even if no one paid any attention,” the more I know I’m on the right track. But it’s so hard to be vulnerable. My stomach turns in a knot every time I think about who might read this.
So then why use social media at all? Why not go off the grid, throw my phone off a cliff, and live a non-digital life?
I’ve certainly considered it. It’s easy to think that we can just throw away the problem and magically everything will get better. But it’s not realistic, we’re too far gone at this point. We use technology for our news and information, for our jobs and livelihood, for seemingly everything. It’s up to the end user (aka you and me) to decide how the technology best fits into their life.
And remember, having an influence up close (e.g., helping a friend, showing genuine kindness to someone in need) will almost always be more meaningful than having an “influence” on millions of people from afar.
