social media Archives

When I sat down to start writing this blog, I got stuck on the title. Originally, I had something like “Is Social Media Toxic?” But the fact is, as a normal human being, I don’t think social media is all bad. I’ve made some amazing friends since moving thanks to Facebook. It’s how I’ve managed to keep in touch with a variety of old friends, even if all I do is passive stalking by seeing their posts when they come up in my feed. I LOVE Twitter as a place to get my news and commentary, as well as a direct line to people I’d never get in touch with otherwise – I tweeted at my favorite morning news lady this weekend to say her dress was gorgeous, and she told me where to get it. How cool is that?!

But I also use social media as a blogger, and apparently, I’m doing it all wrong. If you’ve read any of the books about how to grow a business or a brand, the advice seems to be fairly consistent across the board. Use social media to grow a personal brand. Post constantly. Advertise your products. Always be hustling, always be building a mailing list, always be growing. But I’m increasingly worried that it plays into burn out culture, especially for entrepreneurs, and encourages creating a persona of authenticity instead of really just being yourself online. Also, it doesn’t help that I’ve recently watched the Fyre Festival documentary and American Meme on Netflix. So, let’s break it down a bit. Continue Reading

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We live in a strange age, with questions and concerns that are new for all of us to navigate. When I was growing up, my parents could take as many photos of me as they wanted. Those would then be sent to be developed (yes, this was an age of film) and we would wait with anticipation to see how they turned out. Most pictures ended up in a folder or a box, some occasionally being selected for framing or blowing up to larger size and then displayed or shrunk down to be carried in a wallet.

Now, photos have a different meaning. With our smart phones, it’s so easy to take pictures throughout the day and instantly see how they turned out, send them on to friends and post them online. It’s a normal part of our day to day lives and most of us don’t even think twice about taking a selfie at an event or snapping some quick photos of our food or locale. But when you add in another human life, things get a bit more complicated, at least in my book. Continue Reading