Life has changed a lot in 2020 and collectively we all must be hoping most things go back to the way they once were. Obviously, some things (like every restaurant in the universe) are never going to be the same. But maybe if there’s one potentially positive development it would be the end of influencers as we know it.
I disengaged from Facebook / Instagram over 2 years ago and the peace it has bought me is immense. The most influential & interesting people are more engaged with having an experience in the moment, as opposed to documenting it as it happens. The intrinsic reward of being in the moment to fully immerse themselves in what they are doing. Yes, this may mean having to rely on a failing memory to relive what we once enjoyed - but is that such a bad thing. Who really loses out in this instance. By focusing on documenting to share on social media, users are generating revenue for the companies, who invest the money in keeping eyeballs, leading to the manipulation of said users in a quite dark and uncomfortable fashion (and this far from the more utilitarian intentions of the founders of the internet)
Are we that much better off for being informed about trends all over the world? Places to visit? Things to discover? Or have we got lazy and spoilt the beauty of self discovery? Personally I think we have fed into a culture of entitlement in a "You can and should have it all" which has led to a lack of engagement and a disassociation from the real world. Influencers (and the use of them) is an ugly by-product of this.
I left Facebook 6 years ago, and for some reason my life has been better for it. It has forced me to stay in regular touch with friends all over the country, via phone or texts.
A surprising benefit over the years is that I’ve been to maintain a level of mystery in my life, whereas people who weren’t “true” friends heard about my adventures moving from SC to CA and now NJ, via word of mouth, versus stalking me on Facebook. Being a late bloomer, there is a level of satisfaction that is genuine, that I wish I could put in words.
I've left Facebook earlier this year, shortly after the whole COVID-lockdown shi/show took place. It didn't provide any value and I could feel myself getting angrier the more I spent time there and I just needed some sanity. I haven't missed it. Next up was twitter, and I'm really only down to 1 follow, Chris Jones formally a writer from Esquire, and only because his Friday story is a gem. Being sequestered due to COVID has really been an enlightening experience, it's brought me so much clarity around what is truly worth spending the finite amount of time I have on.
"A lot of those trips would put me in an “amazing places with terrible people” type of situation and it felt wrong. (Not always, but some of the time.) You would be in this stunning place and everyone would just be documenting the sh/t out of it with their phone."
Oh how true that rings with me. The burnout hit hard last year with automotive press trips when I realized I'd been all these amazing places, but mostly with people I wouldn't even want to grab coffee with. It's a luxury to be highly selective with what trips to take, but man did it help.
Thank you - let's hope. I don't follow anyone specifically as an 'influencer' - some for good style but I generally don't make purchases based on their recommendations.
I disengaged from Facebook / Instagram over 2 years ago and the peace it has bought me is immense. The most influential & interesting people are more engaged with having an experience in the moment, as opposed to documenting it as it happens. The intrinsic reward of being in the moment to fully immerse themselves in what they are doing. Yes, this may mean having to rely on a failing memory to relive what we once enjoyed - but is that such a bad thing. Who really loses out in this instance. By focusing on documenting to share on social media, users are generating revenue for the companies, who invest the money in keeping eyeballs, leading to the manipulation of said users in a quite dark and uncomfortable fashion (and this far from the more utilitarian intentions of the founders of the internet)
Are we that much better off for being informed about trends all over the world? Places to visit? Things to discover? Or have we got lazy and spoilt the beauty of self discovery? Personally I think we have fed into a culture of entitlement in a "You can and should have it all" which has led to a lack of engagement and a disassociation from the real world. Influencers (and the use of them) is an ugly by-product of this.
I left Facebook 6 years ago, and for some reason my life has been better for it. It has forced me to stay in regular touch with friends all over the country, via phone or texts.
A surprising benefit over the years is that I’ve been to maintain a level of mystery in my life, whereas people who weren’t “true” friends heard about my adventures moving from SC to CA and now NJ, via word of mouth, versus stalking me on Facebook. Being a late bloomer, there is a level of satisfaction that is genuine, that I wish I could put in words.
Well said Michael…
The world around us has the changed… The word that keeps coming back to me is -pace-
The pace of almost everything in my life has changed and this differential I find much more pleasing and sustainable both globally and personally.
I've left Facebook earlier this year, shortly after the whole COVID-lockdown shi/show took place. It didn't provide any value and I could feel myself getting angrier the more I spent time there and I just needed some sanity. I haven't missed it. Next up was twitter, and I'm really only down to 1 follow, Chris Jones formally a writer from Esquire, and only because his Friday story is a gem. Being sequestered due to COVID has really been an enlightening experience, it's brought me so much clarity around what is truly worth spending the finite amount of time I have on.
"A lot of those trips would put me in an “amazing places with terrible people” type of situation and it felt wrong. (Not always, but some of the time.) You would be in this stunning place and everyone would just be documenting the sh/t out of it with their phone."
Oh how true that rings with me. The burnout hit hard last year with automotive press trips when I realized I'd been all these amazing places, but mostly with people I wouldn't even want to grab coffee with. It's a luxury to be highly selective with what trips to take, but man did it help.
Thank you - let's hope. I don't follow anyone specifically as an 'influencer' - some for good style but I generally don't make purchases based on their recommendations.