Being scared of Social Media
So I grew across three continents in a world where I never shared too much about myself. It might have been because I was in a boarding school for several years where I had no true privacy. So I sought to hide certain parts of myself from others. I wanted to have a private life too. Later in the early 1990s, I started to get involved in online communities like the AOL forums and the WELL. Those worked quite well for me. I was able to design a very specific online identity tied to specific interests and compartmentalize my life. This carried on for years as the web grew and I joined more and more communities. But now things are getting harder.
Social Media is frightening. I'm expected to participate and have an opinion on practically everything I touch. Whether its in the workplace or at home, everybody wants me to collaborate and contribute. Words, images, voice - everything and anything needs to be put in the public domain. I must upload my photographs to flickr for friends to see, my facebook status must reflect my activities, my wiki profile needs to reflect current professional interests and if I am not twittering then I'm not cool. You get the idea? Social Media has a dangerous side. Not only are we forced to reveal more than we may want to, but we're also pressured to do so just to be a part of the conversation.
What's the solution? I don't know. But as I navigate the social media landscape, I'll be constantly asking why participate, what value does the participation bring and does every conversation need to be joined? We have private lives for a reason, because we like to keep some things private. Does that need to change?
Social Media is frightening. I'm expected to participate and have an opinion on practically everything I touch. Whether its in the workplace or at home, everybody wants me to collaborate and contribute. Words, images, voice - everything and anything needs to be put in the public domain. I must upload my photographs to flickr for friends to see, my facebook status must reflect my activities, my wiki profile needs to reflect current professional interests and if I am not twittering then I'm not cool. You get the idea? Social Media has a dangerous side. Not only are we forced to reveal more than we may want to, but we're also pressured to do so just to be a part of the conversation.
What's the solution? I don't know. But as I navigate the social media landscape, I'll be constantly asking why participate, what value does the participation bring and does every conversation need to be joined? We have private lives for a reason, because we like to keep some things private. Does that need to change?
Follow me on Twitter (@shivsingh) for more insights on digital strategy and social media.
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