In business, the share price of a company is an abstraction of value – a single number that subsumes every quality and quantity that affects the business. Or, in the succinctly insightful words of Ben Evans, an opinion of the future. This post is not about share prices, it is about sharing. But I felt a connect with both the above ‘definitions’. On the first, given the volume of sharing we now do online, it is no surprise that likes/shares/subscribers/followers are an abstraction of value. In many ways, the commoditisation of an individual. And so on the second, can the answer to ‘why we share’ explain the changing mindset of society at large, and thus shine some light on what this will lead to?
I am active on three social feeds. On a decreasing continuum, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The first two act as a capturing mechanism, an extension of this blog. Images, thoughts, wordplay, significant events, and so on. The third is solely because I still have to work for a living. But even with the small amount of time I spend on these feeds, I have been fascinated by the different things that people share. Without being judgmental (I do have my biases), this is an exploration of what it says about us.
The ability to project the future, and create a shared understanding have been the driving forces behind human progress. Even before we had spoken language, drawings and signs and sign language achieved this. Once we started communicating via speech, the pace probably accelerated. With writing, the printing press, and the internet, the pace and volume of sharing rocketed.
I broadly classified ‘why we share on social media’ into four buckets – to belong/ reduce loneliness/ vent, for validation/ self image, defining what we want to be seen as by others, and finally, to influence. (I’d really love it if you can add more/suggest changes) I see this is progressively moving from need to want to probably even beyond that. A continuum from intrinsic to extrinsic. In the other framing I occasionally use in the work context, the motives for practically everything boils down to Fame, Money, Love, a very ironic acronym – FML. (I use money as a proxy for power as well) The four buckets can be neatly fit into this framework too.
A sense of belonging to a community, releasing pent up emotions and not being lonely are all needs, things necessary for mental health, a decent life span, and in general, a better life. I don’t need to be on social media for this bucket, but for shy and introvert folks like me, the early years of social were a gift. While I often chastise people, especially older members of the family, for forwarding random things on WhatsApp, I sense now that more often than not, it is a call to connect. Not far removed from what I do with my t-shirts – best phrased by Gabrielle Zevin in Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow – an ‘invitation to play’. The early years of this blog, and Twitter were that too, before interaction started bringing baggage I didn’t want. Even gossip, for instance, achieved venting, bonding, and seeding of ideas.
It starts getting tricky once we proceed to the validation/self image part. Part need, part want. One of the brain’s biggest functions is image management for the self. An absolutely important role if we are to remain sane, and form perceptions of the world around. One’s actions here are not based on what one necessarily needs, but on a self-narrative that one has built for her/himself. The difference between this and the next stage is only the audience. Here, the audience is just the self. My self image can be different from the persona I create for the next bucket, but both are part of my identity. To get the difference, think a little deeply on ‘I think of myself as…’ and see if there is a difference between that and how you project yourself on social media. In my case, travel destinations was an example. Another one is the blog, specifically the discipline of posting every weekend. To some extent, the frequency of my Insta posting is also similar. Sticking to habit is part of my self image. Given that I rarely publicise the blog/posts, there really is no other audience. Self image too is a trap, one that I am largely at now, but I only got to it after tackling the next level – one that is more common.
…to be continued