The question for photographers and artists is, "Is Social Media for you? "What are you looking to get out of it? " Have you had a bad experience? Are you on Social Media? Are there benefits to being on social media?
I have given considerable thought to all of the questions. I realize that it means different things to different people. But I think the driving force for photographers and artists is the human desire to share. To be accepted in the pack. We all seek recognition. If not then you live in a very lonely world. Before social media, and maybe still exist to a certain extent is social clubs. Organizations such as camera clubs, art organizations, and other organized social clubs such as the Masons, or hunting clubs. All social clubs that you can run with the pack.
I am going to address Camera clubs and will show how this relates to this post in a minute. I was a member of the camera club and president of the camera club for many years. So I feel I can speak with some authority on the subject. Now, you can freely disagree with my generalization or option. But Camera clubs have very little to do with the craft of photography and a great deal to do with being a social club. And if presidents of these clubs do not realize this then the club will not survive. I have told many new camera club presidents to treat the club like a preacher of a small Baptist church. Always work to grow the flock or it will die off. And realize that the social aspect of the club is the primary goal. Not teaching photography. Those who heeded this advice and understood what I was saying succeeded. You see preachers know the value of the covered dish luncheon after the service. People do not come necessarily to hear him preach the good word but to come to see their neighbors, to socialize, and to feel they are part of the pack. And if you do not believe this, see how many members show up when there is a social event.
That brings me to social media. It has changed considerably over the past few years. And it is the reason many are no longer on social media. It has become a toxic cesspool of political posts, self-proclaimed experts, and unwanted ads. It is filled with people who could surely use some professional counseling. But it was not always that way. It use to be a place where you could see what friends were doing even if they lived a long distance from you. It was a place where you could share images of your new puppy you adopted without fear of someone ridiculing you for it. And it was a great place for photographers and artists to share their work and skills.
So, what are you looking for from a post on social media? Are you looking to share or get some recognition? Are you looking or hoping to land some work or have someone feel strongly enough about your post to actually purchase a print or contact you for some art or photography job? Are you looking for "LIKE" or "LOVE" clicks? I call them digital hugs. Are you looking for a digital hug. How many make you feel good?
We all want recognition. We want those digital hugs. We want to have nice comments or even win a club competition. It is about being accepted in the pack.
Now the downside. Stories to share. Just FYI, but important facts. Admins on groups on Facebook have ultimate power. They can block you for absolutely no reason. And you are blocked. You have no recourse, no action, and you cannot even find the group after being blocked. Believe me, I have experienced this. Kicked out of the pack, and left ghosted. Wondering what the heck happened. You feel let down, and depressed, want revenge. You wish you had the resources to take a full-page ad out in the New York Times about the social media group. But there is nothing you can do. You have to go in understanding this. Think of it this way, you have been exiled from your church. It hurts.
Nextdoor. The absolute worst social media on the planet. It operates by deception. They hire what they call neighbors to monitor posts and they can kick you out for any reason. Or put you in a penalty box where you cannot log in for 30 days or six months or ever. There is no real arbitration. No number to call, no recourse. If you post about your art or photography you could be considered self-promoting, and back in the penalty box you go. If you complain about Nextdoor on their platform you have violated their rule, and back in the penalty box, you go. Nexdoor is all about selling its ads. So if you pay you can play. Otherwise, I recommend you just stay away for your own mental well-being.
Instagram. I think this still is a great platform for artists and photographers to share their work. They have made improvements over the past couple of years to make it better. Just recently they now allow you to post from your PC. For most of Instagram's existence, they would not allow this, but people were figuring ways around it so they finally supported that. A good move. My only problem with Instagram and it may seem a minor thing, is there is no post date to see when an image was posted. Recently I have seen artists saying Instagram does not get one's attention. It does not feel like you are part of the pack. Let me know your thoughts?
TickTock. Well, I am not on it, don't really watch it, and have no comment about it. I just cannot find one artist or photographer that says good things about the platform. But a lot of young people love it. And apparently, you can get likes and even monetize your post.
Let me know about your soical media experience. Email me if you like, mike@mikeadkins.info
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