Playing to an Empty Room: The Marketing of Self
Maybe I was just born at the wrong point in history, but I have always struggled with social media. Or maybe it's just shameless self-promotion I have struggled with.
Perhaps it's not so much the sharing, as it is the pervasive attention seeking that gets to me. There's something mildly narcissistic about it.
There was a time in our history when a person was measured by their their deeds and character rather than by how attention-getting you can be, and how much you can trumpet your own greatness in service of getting more Instagram followers.
Alas, it seems to have become almost an essential part of live, particularly if you are a maker/creator of anything that involves selling the finished product.
Most artists and writers I have met have not been big on self-promotion.
But, as I said, it's a necessary evil in our times, and it grows more important every year as the competition to "be seen" grows more and more intense.
Which leads me to another reservation I have about this whole ball of wax: Namely that it leads to a lot of "created for Instagram" type of personalities. How can that possibly be authentic, on a deep level?
Not suggesting that there aren't some people on Instagram who are, but the vast majority are not, really.
One of the "deals" I made with myself a long time ago was that I was only ever going to "be myself" with my writing and blogging endeavors.
The "price" for that, alas, seems to be that I rather often end up "playing to an empty room."
Which all brings me back to something I remember learning while at University: There are lots and lots of truly great idea that never become much of anything because their owner is not interested in or doesn't have aptitude for marketing and self-promotion.
Conversely, there are some pretty awful things that end up becoming successful, based on little more than their owner being a charismatic and relentless sales person.
Which could easily lead a person to ponder the question of what really matters in this world...
I accept that sometimes staying authentic is not the path to success. That is to say, * accept* it, but that doesn't mean I like it.
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great Sunday!
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Created at 2024.11.09 23:27 PST
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I was talking with my best friend last night and she said the thing she liked about me was that I was who I was. And that definitely was not one of the popular ones. I'd never make it on Instagram, etc.
I realize that now some of my friends begin to be active on Facebook because they want to make money there. They share everything they do from drinking coffee, having lunch, or doing physical exercise. It felt like a race, as I want to also join them sharing every day activities. But I like writing on hive because it's good for my brain, and i always wanted to be a writer since I was a kid.
My whole KrazzyTrukker™ branding came kinda organically over many years.
I have often wondered if I could have taken it to a much higher level with Sammi Jo and the whole trucking kitty thing if I had self promoted endlessly and shamelessly like many who do have millions of followers. I would have had to hire someone to do that. It is just not something I could do.