We're humans, not brands
Thoughts on avoiding the marketing emphasis of social media platforms
“We're all media companies now,” wrote Matthew Kaskavitch, then-Director of Digital Engagement for University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, in his foreword to my book Digital Kindness: Being Human in a Hyper-Connected World. “What we choose to broadcast via the Internet has a tremendous impact.”
In one sense, that’s undeniably true. With more and more people accessing news and information via their social media feeds, we decide what other people see. The things we choose to amplify, comment on, and talk about in our own posts impact what those in our networks know and can even shape how they perceive issues and events.
We can set our own agenda for focus and discussion, and, in doing so, help focus people in our networks on the things we deem worthy of attention. It’s a powerful way to proactively use social media to expand understanding and empathy — focusing on stories that uplift and unite us rather than those that outrage and divide us.
In another sense, however, thinking about our social media activity through the lens of running our own media companies can be exhausting, restrictive, and even dehumanizing. It can strip the joy and spontaneity away from digital connection and even from encounters in the non-digital world.
When our focus shifts from living life to capturing images and experiences to share with our social media connections, we gradually lose our ability to, in the words of eco-philospher Lyanda Lynn Haupt in Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit:
just witness —see a thing because we are there to see it, knowing that our presence is a privilege for ourselves and a quiet offering to that being witnessed … then walk into the world changed but perhaps silent—without thinking up words and ways to ‘tell about it,’ or imposing a narrative upon our encounter at all
Posting may start to feel like a burden because we feel compelled to say or share something profound, world-changing, and “on brand” — either consciously or subconsciously creating content from the perspective of a marketer.
We’re not brands, though.
As helpful as that analogy is for getting people to understand the potential impact of their social media activity and encouraging them to think carefully about the kinds of information they spread — and believe me, I use it often — we aren’t actually companies or brands.
We’re human beings.
I know that should be obvious, but with digital spaces overrun with marketing-like messages from almost everyone who posts, it’s hard not to think of all our digital activity in terms of “personal branding.” It may not even occur to us to post things that don’t fit the standard (marketing) forms we’re now so used to seeing: humorous observations, inspirational sayings, poignant life lessons, expert advice, hot takes, etc. Because of the marketing emphasis, social media can be especially alienating to those have no interest in or reason for self-promotion.
How can we change that? Despite the algorithms and the familiar content forms, how can we act more like humans and less like marketers on social media?
In Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole, Susan Cain describes one approach. She writes about transforming her social media habits (and her state of mind) by seeking out and sharing art. She started by following several art accounts, filling her own feed with beauty that lifted her spirit; then began sharing a favorite work of art on her own social media accounts every morning. “It’s become a cherished daily practice: meditative, restoring, and community-building,” she says. “The art comes from all over the world, and so does our ever-growing group of kindred spirits who delight in it together.”
On Instagram, adrienne maree brown, author of Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds, strings together several pieces of content from other creators, collectively articulating a sentiment, theme, or message she expresses in a few of her own words in the caption. She tags known sources and invites her community to crowdsource the rest. This practice amplifies many voices, yet at the same time expresses something uniquely her and distinctly different from a standard Instagram post. It reflects her philosophy that simple, intentional, transformative acts with others can lead to larger societal change.
As for me, I’ve been experimenting with posting more “senseless” content — snapshots from my life with no captions or explanation. The results have been fascinating. The photos garner far less “engagement” than posts that fit a more familiar format, but each one has been liked and commented on by someone who rarely or never engages with my standard content. Something about the photo resonates with them in the way other content doesn’t, and they share a bit about themselves in their comments. These posts create a different kind of connection — I think (though I’m not yet sure) they create a less transactional connection — than ones that follow a recognizable pattern.
In my consulting work, I’ve been challenging organizations to stop thinking in terms of marketing and focus instead on connecting and community-building — creating the kind of content that resonates on human levels, not content we’ve been conditioned to create (and consume) by marketing “gurus” and “experts” on gaming algorithms.
A post may be seen by only a handful of viewers, but it can have profound impact on one or all of them. Non-marketing, idiosyncratic, human posts might not “perform well” in terms of engagement metrics, but they are invaluable contributions to the quirky, delightful, positive social media use many of us want to see. And, as an added benefit, these are the kind of posts AI can’t mimic or auto-generate. They spring from a unique individual’s mind and communicate their heart, passion, and perspective.
I’d love to hear from you about ways you rebel against the branding and marketing emphasis of social media platforms. How do you maintain your humanity in a world where we’re treated like consumers and expected to be marketers?
MISCELLANEA
Listen. I’ve been listening to Nina Simone’s 22nd Century on repeat. It’s powerful, plaintive, and prophetic in an era where digital connectivity continues to transform the human experience. Also, for anyone who likes audio content, check out Digital Hope Talk Episode 3: Can We Forgive People For What They Post?
Read. I highly recommend The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find our Place in the Universe by Jeremy Lent. The whole book is fascinating, but of particular interest in the social media realm are his thoughts on how digital connection is giving rise to a “global consciousness.” He believes “the internet could become primarily a vehicle for humanity to further develop a planetary consciousness…. a global identity that would celebrate diversity between cultures while recognizing the deep interdependence that binds all people into a single moral community with a shared destiny” devoted to the entire planet’s flourishing.
Ponder. I’m burying this in the endnotes because I’m still a little afraid to say it out loud: I’m putting pieces into place to focus more of my time and energy on helping people reclaim and maintain digital spaces as human places. I’m still working out exactly what that might look like, so I’d love to hear what you find valuable about my content and approach — and whether you think it’s a worthwhile pursuit. Your voices and perspectives matter to me.