Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash
Anxiousness.
Social media makes me anxious. It’s the features, the look, the hashtags. I’ve never understood how to use it – how do you know when to post, what to post, and why am I posting it?. Facebook came out after college, and since I’m not one to pay attention to new tech, when it became mainstream, I ignored it. I eventually created an account at the encouragement of friends, but I never post. Why keep it? Well, I use it for the groups that I am involved with – voiceover and my virtual gym – so I can stay in the loop. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not being critical of those who love Facebook – I admire people who are active on it. My inner introvert just comes out and screams, “hide!” when I think about posting or replying to someone else’s post.
What about other social media platforms? LinkedIn is more my speed. I feel safe in the professional environment, and I understand the boundaries. Still though, I struggle with what to post about myself or related professional content. Mostly I “like” and reply to others’ posts and share my own content when I feel inspired, which is rare.
I have a confession – I love Instagram. It’s my guilty pleasure. I have a private page where I post photos of my children, animals, and flowers, and follow friends, all things Bravo (don’t judge me) and my favorite podcasters. Still, I don’t understand the difference between stories and static posts. How do you know when to use which?
As to the others? I like Clubhouse, but I am hardly ever able to jump into a room. Forget twitter – that is a scary, dark place. Tik-Tok just makes me feel old.
Excuses.
What is it about some social media (Facebook in particular) that gives me pause? The idea of having something in writing in perpetuity is scary. I also hate conflict and miscommunication, so there’s that.
There’s something else though – internal dialogue. I’ve thought of myself as a non-technical person for my entire life. I was one of the last in my peer group to get a cell phone, smart phone, and I was a hold out on texting. So that means, I told myself, I must be “no good” at technology.
There’s evidence to the contrary, however. I’ve learned to edit audio and I’ve set up my voiceover booth, so that’s something. Tech may not be my favorite thing in the world, but it doesn’t mean I’m not good at it. I suspect that my inner introvert has been using this excuse as a reason to avoid social media…. Back to that later.
Authenticity.
A few weeks back, I was on a zoom with other VO artists and the team from Celia Siegel Management for our weekly, VO Brand Mingle. The discussion evolved into how it’s important to be your authentic self and to put yourself out in the world in creative ways, because it will not only help you as an artist – it will also help your business. I found this seemingly logical concept to be insightful. I wondered, how am I putting my authentic self out there? Aside from this blog and an occasional post on LinkedIn, I’m really not.
Back to my inner introvert. Let’s call her Jane. After this realization, Jane and I had to have a talk. I told her that her negative attitude about social media was no longer serving either of us, and she needed to adjust her point of view. Jane surprised me, she said OK! Jane was ready to warm up (a little bit) to social media. Ok, that’s the end references to myself in the third person (a little bit goes a long way).
Having Fun!
I’ve started an Instagram page for my VO business! My handle is @sarahmcpheevo – Follow me! I love Instagram, but my private profile doesn’t seem like the best place to share my VO content, so I’ve started a new one! I don’t know how often I will post but I am looking forward to interacting with my VO community and having FUN! It’s ok that I’m not into Facebook right now, maybe I won’t ever be into it, and that’s fine because trying to force myself into it, is not being authentic.
I realize this story will not end like a fairy tale. Instagram and I will not run off into the sunset holding hands. First things first, I have to figure out how to take a decent selfie. I took about a dozen before I found one that was acceptable for my profile picture. There’s probably a YouTube tutorial I should look up.
Alright, I’m going to save this, post it on my blog, and go share it on LinkedIn.
Xoxo
Sarah