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.
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