This is not a Tom Cruise moment in Jerry Maguire when he stands up and leaves his job for something… more. Remember? He wanted to feel something, to connect, to inspire. That’s what we all want, yet most of us don’t go after it.
To not get so heavy, all I’m saying is stop being selfish on social media. We’re all selfish to some degree. Social media is built that way—to share our lives with others. But with that comes the me me me culture. Look at me. Look at my day. Look at my oatmeal. Look at my coffee. Look at my _______.
Since we’re now a culture built on how many followers we have, we want to reach as many people as possible on all apps. It’s not possible for everyone to do that, unless you’re non-stop, relentless and most importantly entertaining. With all the new updates and apps, we’re always asking followers to follow us on other apps. Why? What do you do that makes me care? Are you sharing something interesting about yourself, are you funny, are you helping me learn?
Are we turning into brands? Brands that we all make fun of? I get that most of us are personal brands, but so what. Why do followers care about all the accounts we’re on? Shouldn’t they care more about what we’re sharing?
I was in a meeting last week and I had to remind someone that people don’t care about their brand. They have to show that they care, and that they’re useful. You can’t assume that someone wants your product just because you exist.
Step away from yourself/brand and think about how you’re contributing, how you’re giving. I admit I’m selfish on social media. Of course. I post a blog, so I share it on social. I go on a trip, so I share it on social. After a while I was really bored of this, so I started a photography project that was about the beautiful people of Italy… grandparents. It was not about me or you. It was about simple beauty that makes us smile. I didn’t create it to get featured on Instagram, though it was. I didn’t create it to be written about, though it was. I did it so I could connect to my grandfather who had recently passed and to all the other people who might smile when they see a grandparent.
I’m starting to feel the same on Instagram Stories. I don’t think people care about what I’m always doing, so I’m starting to feature accounts on my stories so we can discover great people on Instagram. I find that more interesting than sharing what time I woke up. Or maybe I’m wrong?
I’d love your opinion on this. What do you think? If you want to go deeper, please recommend a few accounts who do a great job at building community and I’m happy to feature them on my IG story.
