As you read this piece, bear in mind that I absolutely believe in social media as a powerful marketing tool. I’ve got a background in marketing and advertising (not an extensive background, but a background nonetheless) and I know the power that social media possesses to increase sales and overall engagement is immeasurable. But social media is a rose. It’s pretty, but it’s got thorns that you sometimes don’t see at first glance.
In high school, I was obsessed with social media. My parents would take away my phone and I would cry over losing my Snapchat streaks or not being able to check Instagram. Deep down I knew it was an issue, but I didn’t care.
Fast forward to today. These days, I mostly used my personal Instagram and Facebook platforms for business purposes. Photography is my art, and I wanted to share it! I networked and marketed, and my efforts produced a good amount of income and exposure!
What I’ve slowly been realizing over the years is that as a society we have begun to experience things solely for the purpose of sharing it. Try something for me right now: think about something exciting you’d like to do. Maybe it’s visiting a new country or going cliff-jumping. Now imagine just not sharing photos or videos of that experience. It makes the idea a little less enticing, doesn’t it?
We’ve let social media rule us to the point that we’d do anything for the thrill of posting and getting recognition.
Before anyone jumps on my back about content creators and photographers and artists: wait a second! I’m a digital creator myself! I adore taking photos, and creating videos. It’s a true passion I’ve developed over the past few years.
Everyone is different. What I’m going to do with this revelation is evaluate what is actually important to me. Is it the experience? Or is it people KNOWING that I had the experience?
Think about when you see someone post about something they did. Maybe they went hiking. How much did you really care to see that hike? Did that hike change the way you thought about that person? Did you think, “Wow, they are absolutely super adventurous and amazing!” Or did you click past it just like everything else on your feed?
What’s important to me? Humanity. Living. Experiencing. Loving. I don’t need to share my photos with 1,000 plus people who have no relevance to my life. I don’t need to see the highlight reel of everyone else’s life, because it’s just not real. I want to live for the Lord, and I want to share the real and special life He’s given me with those closest to me.
Comentários