This post is a bit rambly, and I’m not sorry.
Hi there. Before I get into anything, I want to thank you for clicking on this post. I can't tell you how much it means to me - but I'm going to try my best to explain.
Social media has me a little jaded.
I've never been really content with social media. But the last few months, that already rocky relationship has sharply degraded. I don't want to spend too much time wallowing in the negative. So, if I were to briefly describe social media, I'd probably say something along the lines of "a soul-sucking vampiric entity that sucks your brains out and leaves you a mindless zombie".
I'll acknowledge my bias. Like many, many other artists, I tried to use social media as a tool to market my work. And it seemed that no matter what I did, no matter what I invested, it was all one big pointless waste of time. Okay, maybe I'm a lot jaded. If it had led to some modicum of success, then I'm sure I'd have a higher opinion of it. But it didn't. So I don't.
Seriously, I’m not jaded, I swear.
I won't get too much into the specifics about why social media has this effect. It's a complex topic and many other people have covered it a lot more succinctly than I'm prepared to do at the moment.
Instead, I want to talk about the spectacular alternative.
With the mass exodus from Twitter right now, I see everyone scrambling to guess what the next big thing is going to be. Mastodon? Hive?
I've decided to place my money on the humble blog and newsletter combo.
That's right, we're talking early Web 2.0, baby.
True, blogs did lose some traction with the rise of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. But we've seen these social media giants come and go, like the rise and fall of empires. (RIP MySpace.) Do you know what's still going strong, since its introduction to the public in the 90’s?
E-mail.
Now, in suggesting the abandoning of social media, I’m not saying we should cut all online communications and become antisocial creatures living in caves. (Tempting though that may be at times.)
Blogs and emails are just as effective, if not more, at achieving social interaction.
For me, at least, Instagram felt like shouting into a crowded room where everyone is speaking so loudly that your voice is drowned out. Twitter’s 280 character limit encourages the truncation of your thoughts.
But with a blog post, you have room to stretch out. Meander through your thoughts. Get a little rambly. (This post certainly is.)
And I currently feel that that is so much more valuable. It allows for more meaningful communication.
Meaningful communication - a demonstration.
If you’ve made it this far down this article, then I think that’s a rather apt demonstration.
(As a note, I’m also very much enjoying Discord at the moment. It feels much more natural for stimulating actual conversations than Twitter. Plus, I can tell that I’m forming actual friendships with people on Discord, rather than just “mutuals.”)
What’s next?
I have so much more to say about this topic. But I also believe in baby steps. So, I’m going to wrap it up here with my plans moving forward.
I’m going to blog. It’s not going to be perfect. In fact, it may be very awkward at times as I get my footing. But that’s okay. I’m going to keep moving forward regardless.
Like I said at the beginning, I cannot begin to express how much I appreciate that you’re here. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject.
What has been your experience with social media?
Do you enjoy reading blogs? If so, what are your favorites? Do you have your own blog? (I’m looking for recommendations to follow!)
What would you like to see from my blog?
When I ask you to comment below, I’m not asking for Instagram’s favorite artificial commodity “engagement”. That’s not how individual websites work. I’m asking because I want to start a conversation.
If you’d like to join me on this journey, then please consider subscribing to my newsletter to receive an email when I update the blog with a new post.
I can’t positively say what you should expect from this blog. It’s a living, evolving thing. I don’t know what to expect from it. But I’m excited to find out and I’m excited to have you here with me.
Bailey Vidler