Don't Call Me an Influencer.
Blogging used to be fun. When I started my blog, I did it to share all the things I was buying with my friends as I followed the Captain around the US. I didn’t use punctuation or upper case letters. I was funny. I was crass. I had fun writing. And, at least I think, people had fun reading. I didn’t buy a fancy website or get a fancy camera, but perhaps if I had someone would be reading this now.
I saw people who I knew in the flesh to be selfish and unkind become incredibly successful in the blog-o-sphere simply because they put out a persona that was nothing like their own and took really nice photos. That’s what it came down to. I spent years writing my heart out. Taking bad point-and-shoot images. Having fun. I decided to roll with the punches and upgrade everything and try to compete. I worked so hard and spent so much money, only to find that the with the authenticity of my blog gone so was my angle and frankly, was my readership.
After working in social media for going on 3 years, I see that perception is indeed reality. I see people striving to be their own version of what is popular and successful. It’s exhausting. And even worse it’s all done under the guise of authenticity. Everyone is “authentic” and being their unique selves. To that I have to say, bull shit. I’m a big believer to each their own, you do you boo boo, and all of that… but rarely to I look at those striving to be Insta Famous and think, relatable. There are a handful who do emote this and, of course, this is all subjective. My opinion. Based on my personal feelings. But I feel that we are so tied up in the squares of perfection and the at-home motivational speaker that we are blurring what is true art, what is unique and captivating speech, and what is true self love. Reality is becoming fucked.
The idea of the influencer started innocently enough, in my opinion, but now we are in a place where we no longer know if a product promoted is done so because of a genuine love for the product or simply a paycheck. I know this happens. I’ve done it. I’m just as guilty as the rest. I have to often step back and hold myself accountable. Remind myself what reality I’m living in. While working on a client’s social media I came across the Einstein quote, “Strive not to be a success, but of value.”
If our goal was not self promotion, but instead to offer value to our audiences what would change in our behavior. How could be better ourselves and those around us? We are constantly being sold to and it’s so subtle sometimes that we don’t even realize it. I am all for supporting small business and for brand promotion. I am all for learning the story behind the brands we shop. But we have to be aware of what we are viewing every time we scroll.
I was cleaning up my website and for the 2 millionth time debating if I wanted to delete it, but then I see the years of hard work and can’t bring myself to part with it. I started thinking and that’s where this rambling nonsense came from. Cheers to anyone who has made it to the end.
