Social Media - Some thoughts

Do I need social media? This question haunts me time and again. Being a Photo Artist, I am not in a position to completely ignore it too. In recent times, I share love-hate relationship with social media platforms.

I became active on various platforms , particularly photo sharing ones, since I started photography in 2010. I needed the outlet for my creative pursuits. I needed the feedback , particularly in the initial stages of my photography career. I began with and was quite active on Flickr, a wonderful photo sharing site. I must admit, it really helped me not only as a photographer but also helped me in developing my persona, as I came out of the cocoon and started interacting with other artists. Next was Facebook. I have never considered Facebook as a serious photo sharing site. It is more of a social meeting site. Then came g+ . Absolutely amazing platform which contributed a lot for my development as a photographer. Sadly it will shut down on 2nd April'19. Instagram, twitter, MeWe and few others I visit and share on whenever mood takes me.

Do I need social media?

Yes, social media helped my development as a photo artist, I met some wonderful people online and made lifelong friends. But, I am no longer a starry eyed photographer or user of SM as disillusionment with SM platforms have slowly crept in.

I started photography for my personal joy, hobby which made me forget everything and I began to live for it. I got feedback , fortunately mostly positive , on various SM sites. I also studied and enjoyed photos of many other photographers. Impact of these two important factors, positive as well as negative,  made me rethink about need and importance of social media.

Let me write about sharing and feedback factor first. As years progressed, I realised that I needed and waited for feedback on my work, personal joy of capturing and sharing had taken a backseat.And that realisation was a first nail. When any artist claim that they share on social media for personal joy without expecting anything in return then he or she is deceiving oneself.

 I became close observer of people's online behaviour. Feedback one receives depends on how active you are. More active you are more likes and comments you will get. One may earn respect as an artist but response you get depends on how active you are. Out of sight out of mind or you scratch my back I scratch yours is the dictum of all SM platforms. And it is not a pleasant scenario for any artist. One needs to follow , not only follow but be actively engaged, to get decent response to one's work. That made me wonder about genuineness of the response one gets. And in all this where is the place for constructive criticism? Any artists thrives on constructive criticism or genuine feedback. Do you really get it on social media? I doubt. One needs to be more active at SM rather than actually working at developing one's art. Groupism, where this far and no further factor is strong, is another issue I have faced and  observed. Sadly that is a reflection of society today. 

Judging work based on the response received, which may or may not be genuine , can go against development of any artist. SM can make and break career of an artist, which is really a scary thought. Advertisements to teach you tricks to increase your followers is a case in point. If at the end it is all to do with tricks and keywords and scratching someone's back where does it leave an artist? 

Waiting for the applause

But can any artist leave SM completely? Unfortunately NO. Artist needs an audience. Artist can exhibit work periodically or get it published. But to bring the crowd in or create a follower base for published work one needs to take help of SM. SM has become necessary social evil. Immediacy is the biggest advantage that SM has over other avenues. Artist gets immediate feedback on SM and that can also help in the development as an artist. Here, one assumes that feedback is genuine! Ideal way will be to strike a balance somewhere and take the response with pinch of salt, particularly when one is not overly active on SM. 

One can withdraw from social media, only if, one truly and genuinely creates for own pleasure and not for the world out there (that would be nirvana!)  or one has reached a position in one's field where SM response doesn't matter.

Personally speaking, I prefer to take a break from time to time and concentrate on learning other aspects relating to my hobby or allocate time for other hobbies. SM is not going to change by my raving or ranting, so better keep a healthy distance. 

SM as a learning tool in part 2....