Observing all the postings this wk has opened my eyes to think abt so much more on these platforms than just engagements alone.
At a time when so many are vying for a voice – to be “the voice” on particular topics, I saw celebrities brag abt their engagement, acting humbly surprised by their numbers, to the point where they were retweeting/reposting & literally showing their “shock” in how much love a post got.
Why a bkgrnd pic of a pendulum for this msg? Bc when we look at engagements on these platforms, most judge the posts based on the high numbers received, & there is little to no consideration given to how many saw the msg, not only didn’t engage, but may’ve been negatively impacted by it – either personally or as groups of ppl.
Take something way less controversial than this wk’s news. If a model posts a pic in a bikini, she/we see how many engagements it gets. Maybe it receives love bc of how nice the bikini design is, how artsy the scenery is, how attractive the person looks. For as many engagements as a “popular” post gets, how many are looking at that post & thinking to themselves – “I don’t look that good. I’ll never look like that. I can never wear something like that.”
Take the posts from this wk. The ones that got the highest engagements, were the ones using the most extreme language: “Everyone who took this action WAS this adjective or noun.” And then “Everyone who didn’t take this action WAS this adjective or noun.” Isn’t that what the media does for click bait?
If a post starts going viral, it’s seen a LOT. It gets a ton of likes & fwds. But how many more then also see it, & are turned off or set back by it? How much more of a gap in a divide does it create?
I think abt this in the MH space. We applaud celebs for raising their hand & saying things like “I’m bipolar & bc of it, my next album is gonna be hot.” But how many who don’t understand MH turn away from the disorder labels? Turn away bc someone says they ARE something instead of they HAVE something? Can’t relate bc they don’t have the same label & so they further tune out MH.
My last post was my least engaged w one in a long time. It’s bc I took a stance to find a middle ground – something/anything of commonality that we could build off of, together. I didn’t pander to left or right, or “isms.” So the more passionate folks on each side were of course gonna engage less. I’m ok w that. Sending the right msg that begins the process of unification is more important to me than getting some viral post or large #s. There are things we all can say or post for more engagement. But, is it more important to see high numbers, or help move conversations forward, collaboratively?
