I am one of those people who enjoys my alone time immensely. I like to sit in front of my screen with Lightroom and my next image to be minimally edited or to watch a show or read a book. I am also one of those people who can chat it up with anyone who enjoys some conversation, whether deep or superficial. However, there is another kind of social that weighs on my daily life, often hiding and lurking behind the scenes. I know it’s there, but it rarely notices me. I speak. It mostly ignores. I carry on, the socially inept self, in an attempt to be noticed, to tear away my invisible sheath, with my daily cries of color and light, composition and storytelling. I try to break through the barrier of the in-group, the popular “kids” of the social media giant to whom I cower and cave…Instagram.
I’m a regular poster. With my copious images which I labor over daily, I feel compelled to make my work mean something rather than be relegated to the dingy basement of my hard drive. I want my work to be seen, to be known with eyes other than my own. Yet somehow I never seem to get the hang of the social prowess expected in the world of virtual engagement.
Don’t get me wrong, I have more followers than when I began my social media journey. I even have those regulars that come back each day smashing that like button, making me feel seen, yet I can’t seem to get the hang of the back-and-forth conversation so many appear to do with ease. My in-person social self seems to have been taken over by a socially inept virtual hijacker who has me bound and gagged. I often wonder ‘is it worth it? Why am I pursuing a dead-end relationship with a global giant?’ Those are rhetorical questions with answers that are lying dormant in the deepest recesses of my mind, so they will have to be explored another day.
As a write these words, however, and allow my curious self to scrutinize my predicament, I wonder if it is as simple as going back to the same accounts and using people’s names while making meaningful comments. The only way to answer this question with an assurance of its accuracy is to run the test. I will work towards drawing out the more outgoing parts I enjoy in my real-world experience, creating a well-rounded and socially confident virtual self.
Until next time remember:
Photography is a language we all speak. No translation needed. 📸
As an unabashed, yet highly-functioning introvert, I sincerely identify with a lot of this. I have spent, by my estimation, far too long considering the "ins and outs" of Instagram and how I relate to it.
In the end, I have arrived at the following conclusions that apply for me...
1. Just as bees make honey, we make images–and the natural thing to do is share them once in a while.
2. Social media is in some regard, meant to be "social." I try to appreciate comments left on my posts and give positive input where I seem fit.
That's it.
That's my Instagram "strategy" and the degree to which I think about it.
Not sure if that helps at all, but thought I'd share what's working for me.
Cheers!
You have an amazing talent with words and with images. I enjoy your essays immensely.