I’ve wanted to write about this for a while now. This rant is completely based on my experience with social media so please don’t interpret this as an attack to anyone who uses social media.
Why does social media kill me but I’m still a part of it? Well the main reason I’m involved with social media platforms is because I’m a musician and nowadays you HAVE to have an internet presence. If you are not actively using social media you cannot be known to the world and are not taken seriously in your art. Yes, I know some artists who refuse to have social media accounts but realistically you need it if you want to get any gigs, promote your music and put yourself out there in the world. The music industry has changed a lot and the internet is an essential tool to promote your art.
The web is saturated with millions of musicians which makes it a very exciting time but also a frustrating time. Anyone is able to create music, post it on the web and promote it. It’s pretty awesome that you don’t need thousands and thousands of dollars to record and promote your music but it does make it very difficult for people to hear your music in the massive ocean of musicians on the web.
How do I feel when I scroll on my social media platforms? Well firstly I get completely overwhelmed and sucked into spending a lot of time just trying to keep up with what people are posting, doing, etc. It’s too much information and it makes me anxious. I am definitely a person that has a hard time responding to things quickly as it stresses me out. I try to limit my time on my social media accounts.
People wear masks as they only want to show what they want the public to see. I’m 100% guilty for doing this!! No one, I mean NO ONE has a perfect and happy life all the time like they post on their profiles. We want to look like we are successful and awesome at every moment in our lives. Why does this bring me down? Well because it’s like a slap in the face that constantly says: “Why isn’t your life perfect? Why isn’t your body perfect? Why aren’t you pretty enough? Why aren’t you travelling the world and seeing amazing places? Why don’t you have your dream job? Why don’t you have a lot of money? It’s the constant pressure that says “you are not good enough!” People only want to share the positive things in their life - I get it. Who wants to hear about negative things that are happening? I do feel like that the spectrum has gone all the way to one side saying that we need to be perceived that our life is amazing all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely see people also post negative, unhappy experiences or subject matter, however it’s definitely not that common. There is the constant expectation that we put on ourselves that we need to be loved, beautiful, successful and famous or else our life is a piece of shit! Not true at all, it’s all bullshit.
You are probably asking why don’t I just get rid of all my accounts? Well like I said before I can’t as a musician as I need a social media presence or I might as well just perform to the birds outside as my audience. I’m going to try to be as genuine and real in my posts from now on because I’m not perfect, no one is!
If you think I’m full of shit that’s totally fine, I won’t be offended. If you feel any kind of anxiety, depression or pressure to be perfect on social media please share! We are all in this mess together so I’m trying to stay positive.
I’m trying my best to stay real, stay weird and be myself.
Peace out and lots of love.
OXO