Friday 21 February 2014

I love you I hate you


Social media :: Inspiration provider, business spruiker, time waster, friendship maker. Or breaker.

Some days it feels like it just sucks your soul right out. The constant need to stay in touch - online - amongst it.

Someone recently told me, You gotta play the game. You have to stay in the spotlight. If you don't, you're forgotten. Fast. It's exhausting, but it's necessary. You can love it or hate it. That's just the way it is.

And it is. In a professional sense. I knew it before he said it. Exhausting, but necessary. Some days, more than others.

We have to flog our wares, our product, our work, our craft. We have to make people want to look at us. Make them like us. Make them tell their friends. Make them want to come back for more. You can be the best of the best. But if no one sees you - does it count?

Some days you don't care who sees your work. Many days, it's just for you anyway. But some days, it's for everyone else. Because it's your best and it should be appreciated. And you should be appreciated for making it. With your own two hands. You creative thing, you. But what if no one comes? What if no one cares? What if no one double taps? No one clicks the thumbs up?

The over the top affection and praise for the strangest of things and people. Sometimes just strangely average. And I wonder what I'm missing? Why don't I see it? But I remind myself we are all different. With good reason. It keeps things interesting. Even if I don't understand it.

The pace is so fast. There is always something new. All the cool kids have it. Should I have it too? Do I even care? Usually, no. If I start doing something because I feel I should, it will never end in a good place. Run your own race and all that.

Some days - even weeks - I am happy to stay silent. Not care what everyone else is doing. Even my friends. Because when I log back online after a day, a few days, a week.. we pick up where we left off. Some days, there is just too much noise. From a silent object. The irony.

Some days the silence is the most deafening relief you can hear. Or feel. However it hits you.

Some days you don't need to care about anybody but yourself. Even though it feels like it may be hurting you creatively.

It connects us and divides us. I love it and hate it in equal measure.

But like he said.

Exhausting, but necessary.

5 comments:

  1. I agree it's necessary if you want to be "in the game" but ive found after blogging for 7 years now that it comes and goes, people will be really interested for a while and then they won't be. I don't try to keep up, but then my blog is just a little pleasant escape for me, not something I'm trying to make money from or sell stuff from. I think if you're doing it for an income than its part of the job description :) but you're allowed some time off!

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  2. You're so not alone Tahnee! I also have a love/hate relationship with social media. There's some particularly weird behaviour going on with Instagram that I was chatting to a friend about it today. I sometimes go days without checking in but then when I'm back in I get completely caught up in it all. The inspiration is great and the friends are great but some other stuff is not so great and as you say, sometimes it's just all too much. Maybe sensitive souls like myself are just not a good fit for some forms of social media! Someone unfollower me the other day and I'm still thinking about it!

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  3. I now share when I feel called/inspired to and trust that the people who need to see it will. Social media was exhausting me for a while there, and in the sharing of moments I felt like I was missing out on real-life moments. Great post Tahnee xx

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  4. Oh, yes, this! Exactly this. Content, content, content. Constantly be feeding the demand or get left behind. Absolutely. I hate the pressure.

    The wonderful thing is that when I say I need to take a break, my lovely, devoted readers tell me they will be there whenever I return. Why can't I just be grateful them and stop with this need to be adding more, more, more? World domination via blog - this was never my intention when I started. Sometimes I feel I get swept up in all the noise. I think it has hurt my writing which was the only goal I ever had - write and write well.

    Thanks for reminding me to breathe! xx

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  5. It's a hungry beast that's never sated isn't it? I've reached the point where I'm trying to concentrate on quality over quantity and only commenting on things that have really meant something to me :)

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