It’s easy to see and comment on how consuming social media can be for artists, who arguably should (and want to) spend more time making music and having genuine interactions with fans.
I don’t believe in the pressure on artists to also have to have strong social media to succeed in the modern music industry. And if it is a requirement, I would probably say get the hell out of the industry, do something more wholesome for work and make music for passion.
Social media has been a blatant problem for a long time.
Facebook was the first one that really started giving me bad vibes so I had to get rid of it, so long ago now I can’t even say how long ago it was. Over the years, I’ve learnt we have to be super aggressive with any filter systems on offer from these platforms to protect yourself from (intentional or not) psychic attacks.
This really got me down to using only 2 platforms: Twitter (because of mute words) and LinkedIn (because the professionality means no “hateful” content).
Only now, years away from using Instagram and after cutting right back on my LinkedIn content for the first half of 2023, do I see there is a little bit of a rule in how to use social media effectively. It comes down to using social media with laser-focused intention, and really making sure that attention is fully aware.
Meta: hell on the internet
I stopped using Facebook so long ago that I can’t even remember why. I made the decision and never looked back. At the start of the pandemic Instagram went.
Instagram was a big problem for me for all of the usual reasons; people I don’t see in the real world anymore I shouldn’t be looking for there either, amplified sexuality disguised as “empowerment” causing my desires and dopamine to go spastic and inappropriate times, materialism, commercialism and illusions. All of the stuff you absolutely want to avoid scrolling in the dark at 2am.
This one was clearer why I needed to leave it: even though I told myself it was useful for business opportunities and it was the platform where most people I knew hang out, it was giving me insatiable cravings for interaction with people that, upon getting off the platform and spending a bit of time with yourself, you realise is completely beyond what you actually need. Instagram gives you a false sense of how connected you’re supposed to be with others, and how often.
Instagram was something I picked up and dove into without thinking when I wanted to communicate with people I didn’t have access to in close friendship platforms like WhatsApp. Or worse, I did have access but I’d lost autonomy to be able to reach out to them.
I started to recognise the pattern of the craving feeling (the kind of pit or pull in my lower chest or upper belly telling me I needed to do something). This later became alcohol, fast food, and other crutches, but to some extent I’ve filled this void with the joy of being with myself again (largely thanks to a more intentional return to Stoicism).
I also delved deeper into Buddhist philosophy, gaining a better understanding of cravings and how mindfulness can help. I also expanded my knowledge of psychology, exploring attachment theory and behavioural psychology, and some Jungian thoughts, all which were helpful in a journey away from social media (which is actually more of a journey back towards self).
Short story, I was using social media to distract myself from unfulfilled needs. I think we all do this to some extent, but it doesn’t address our needs; it only distorts and magnifies them.
Instagram was the worst because I could endlessly view images of people I wanted to talk with but couldn’t. Without being able to take any action, I couldn’t make myself feel better or work towards getting what I wanted; which left me in a trap of endless aimless searching on social media.
I often needed to talk to someone, but recently I’ve been learning to better understand and address my needs on my own. This has helped me become more aware of myself and others when I communicate.
Twitter: a quiet corner
It’s not just loneliness or missing someone we turn to social media for. We use social media when we’re stressed and need a change, when we wish we were somewhere else or could do something differently, and when we want a better job. All our insecurities, desires, and needs drive us to it.
I got rid of Twitter too, for a while. I was picking it up and losing myself in it when I felt a calling that I needed something, but didn’t know what.
I once attempted to switch from a smartphone to a dumb one, but I soon realised I was missing the camera, my reading apps, Google Maps, and the ability to send and receive media, as well as Roam & Notion. My experiment didn’t last long, but I do wish I turned my smartphone off more often.
Twitter has grown on me again. It’s great for blocking out anything unwanted and having a feed with only what you want to consume. People may say this is bad, and it can be if all you want to see is politics and news. My feed consists of:
- Wholesome animal videos
- Chillhop posts
- Stoic quotes
- Jungian quotes
- Buddhist quotes
- The Dalai Llama
- Buddhist friends
- Music production stuff
Despite this, I still find myself aimlessly posting to it at times.
Taking a break from social media, even for a day or two, can help me realise that nothing on it is important. It’s all a waste of time.
I even believe this is true for marketing music.
Why I use social media: the lie
I’m left with Twitter and LinkedIn. I tell myself I still use them to maintain a good reputation in the music industry and to network with people I need to know for my job.
I don’t approach business relationships in a transactional way. I’m only able to truly connect with people if I can meet them for a beer, food, and a chat. I’m not interested in business relationships with people I can’t connect with on a personal level. This is why the game of LinkedIn and music industry networking feels so disgusting and repulsive to me.
It is true that I still rely on these platforms for work. I use them to meet people who can help me with my job goals and to demonstrate my experience and knowledge in the music industry. This way, I can either find a new job if I lose my current one, or sell something of value in the future.
And I kind of hate this.
By the end of 2023, I hope to be in a position where networking with new people is not required. That way, I can turn off LinkedIn and Twitter for good. It may be a stretch, but it’s something to strive for.
Job security in the music industry
My reasons for keeping LinkedIn and Twitter are mainly:
- Reputation
- “Personal brand” awareness
- Fear of not finding work if I was to lose a job
This fear of job loss has persisted for some time.
- All of my first jobs were sales jobs, where the mentality was to constantly increase sales goals or face being sacked the following week.
- I ran my own company for a year with my own money I earnt from successful sales until it drove me into debt I’ve still not financially recovered from.
- I have mostly worked in startups, where money is scarce and performance is essential for keeping the business afloat.
I can’t recall ever being fired from a job (except one, where I put in no effort because it was a terrible job). But it’s this persistent fear that I’m not providing enough value to justify my salary that haunts me. I think like an entrepreneur, not an employee. And I’m not an employee; I’ve been self-employed for a long time, so I’m easier to let go.
I must let go of my fear and accept the outcome. I have put in the effort, demonstrated my abilities, and shown I can think outside the box and find solutions where others have failed.
It’s time to stop worrying and wasting time creating content to protect my reputation. In 2023, I’m going to focus on writing and music without fear. If I were to lose my job, so be it. I’m done investing constant energy into safeguarding my career; that energy should be going into meaningful, life-defining projects.
Orwellian platforms, algorithms and content
I’m feeling drained by content best practices. It’s not so much content overload that’s the issue, but rather the way digital society expects us to create content for an audience. These practices are then rewarded by algorithms, resulting in a flood of content with no originality.
I’m writing this in Notion. Now I can select all the text, right-click, and ask my AI to “improve writing, use simpler language, and shorten.”
This is what we’ve become as humans. A species that can’t slow down to absorb information. We need our information chewed for us so all we have to do is swallow.
We see it everywhere…
- Twitter started it with its micro-character posts
- Instagram 30s videos made video content short
- Tinder
- TikTok perfected the short video format and UX for low time/high churn content
- YouTube videos are getting faster-paced and more vivid. Not to mention the horrible “like, subscribe, sponsor” CTAs
- Songs are being written or edited for DSP user behaviour
- Articles are written for SEO
LinkedIn for the music industry
I was one of the first to post content about the music industry on LinkedIn. Back then, I was almost the only one doing it. Over the past few years, I’ve been posting content with advice on how to navigate the music industry. But now, others are doing the same, and they’re doing it better, optimising their content to build their personal brands. They’re more passionate about it.
Initially I wanted to compete in that market, but I don’t care anymore. Algorithms have ended the era of “learning the rules to break them”. Now, you succeed by following the algorithm’s rules. There’s no room for creativity. That’s not for me.
I enjoyed LinkedIn as it provided a platform for content that was longer than a tweet but shorter than a blog. I prefer longer-form content, both for consuming and creating.
People seemed to enjoy that on LinkedIn for a while. However, as more music industry influencers gain traction on the platform, I can see that their posts are outperforming mine by 10x.
And my ramblings are getting 10x longer.
I’ve known for a long time, since I learned to write, that writing is my creative and emotional outlet, in addition to making music.
I won’t compromise my creative authenticity to fit a platform. Absolutely not. If it becomes clear that my audience is no longer there, it’s time for me to pack up my tea towel on a stick and go wandering.
Ownership: most things must be on my website
I own my own domain. I don’t yet have my own physical servers, but that’s something I can work towards. This means that anything I post on my website can outlive me. Therefore, it’s important to make it of good quality and to post all my creations there.
The server maintenance, or at least paying for it, can be something I save for a post-mortem investment – to keep my ideas alive after I die, as long as the internet survives.
I’m not relying on other platforms to host my life’s work long-term.
Social media to blogging transition
There’s no point in trying to quit social media cold turkey. That’s not my goal anyway.
What I’m trying to achieve is:
- Not letting myself mindlessly fall into social media when it’s something else that needs attention.
- Writing authentically – not lying to myself that I don’t want anyone to read it, nor trying to find security from my reputation. I want the freedom to express myself without trying to optimise my writing to make myself look like an authority on the subjects I write about.
So, the first thing I’m doing is changing the language I use around my writing from article to blog post.
This expands my writing topics, as I’m no longer restricted by SEO or audience considerations. My blog is a place to freely express my ideas without having to conform to a certain role or “personal brand”.
My website will reflect my thought process and serve as an archive of my mind. I’ll be focusing more on networking fragmented ideas and bi-directionally linking between pages to create a comprehensive map of my thoughts on a subject.
I’ve been interested in improving my graphic design skills for a while now. Even if it’s just making the images I post with blogs look more consistent and attractive. I’m proficient in CSS and HTML, but WordPress is so user-friendly that it’s hardly worth coding my own site.
Mailing list: slowly but surely
I set up a mailing list a while ago, intending to automatically send articles via email when I post them. However, I later found out that this method is likely to get caught by spam filters.
I need to create newsletters to inform followers of new blog posts until I find a better solution.
Reading as a way of absorbing information
I’m being stubborn and sticking to my natural writing style, rather than changing it to please an audience. I hope there are still people who have the patience to read, and that younger generations continue to recognise the value of reading.
I will likely write more about this subject in the future, so I won’t go into too much detail here. However, I want to make sure to bring these tools to people’s attention:
- Kindle – specifically converting long reads to Kindle format by emailing them to yourself
- Readwise – a highlight and resurfacing app so you can remember what you’ve read in incremental “flashbacks”
- Readwise Reader – a super powerful, super built-for-purpose management system for all of your reading material.
Subjects I’ll cover in my blog
- Broad philosophical ideas, meanderings and theories
- Music thoughts
- Yes, still music business & industry: it is still my passion and profession so I have a lot to say about it, and so many ideas of things that should change and how they could
- Archive and write-ups of my own music
- Love art, romance, bohemianism, freedom, nature
- Dystopian tech developments
- Utopian societal hope
- Existentialism and meaning
- Music theory and production
- Coding
- Developments of projects I’m working on
- Cooking