Why I avoid social media

Those who by chance read something from these pages here and there are probably aware that I avoid social media pretty much as someone would avoid visiting the dentist. Taking into account that I'm into creative work and hoping to make ends meet in the process, many would say that I'm doing it wrong and making a potentially "catastrophic" mistake because of this. It appears that living without social media is pretty much impossible these days, especially for certain groups of people. Still, I'm convinced that I'm not the only one out there revolted by social media in general, despite some of its obvious "benefits".

So, let's start. To begin with, I'm an introvert by nature. Although this is likely a matter of heritage, it is also by choice to quite some degree. I prefer peace, quiet, solitude, and discretion to their opposites. Some claim that social media is ideal for people who are not particularly sociable in real life and are having a harder time realizing contacts and relationships. It doesn't seem so to me at all. According to many pieces of research that I've heard of, in this supposedly "golden age" of communication and human relationships, people were never so far away from each other. Quite a paradox. I can imagine a picture of a young man and a woman sitting on the same bench, each one looking at their phone... So much about that.

Furthermore, I don't like the constant pressure imposed by social media. To achieve "success" there, you need to post something new and "interesting" non-stop and constantly fight for that small attention span of a typical person these days. Also, being potentially reachable all the time is in total conflict with personal freedom which should be one of the top priorities for every artist. On top of it all, I've heard many stories of those who've put their creative work and its further advancement into second place (to say the least), due to social media and the time and effort they require.

It’s probably very easy to become addicted to social media. Once you get dragged into this world, there is no turning back. Spending every free moment checking out what's new on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., especially what other people are saying about you.

It's a sad truth that free and independent artists do not have too many options for promoting their work but to embrace the Internet together with its advantages and shortcomings. Of course, I also hope for getting more attention to what I do and the chance of converting my efforts to something concrete to satisfy at least the basic needs. But does one have to blindly follow all the rules of the game? I sincerely hope it isn't so, especially if there are no guarantees whatsoever. But should I eventually need to give in, I will try to do so under my own rules. ;)