Sunday, May 1, 2016

What am I using social media for? (in relation to art)

I use several different social media sites.  I use Pinterest, Blogger, Instagram, Steller, Facebook, Etsy and Wix.  Often times a social media site will count the number of views, likes, comments or shares on a particular posting.  I begin to get sucked into the idea that these numbers are important and that I need to have as many likes or shares as possible.  The idea is that if a post has more shares or likes it's more popular and this popularity means I am more successful.  Now I want to question this idea.  Does chasing "likes" and "shares" lead to success?  Also, what kind of success am I trying to achieve?

I realize that social media can take up a lot of time in my day if I let it.  In a day I might spend an hour each on Facebook and Instagram and another half hour on my other social media sites.  That means I could be spending two and a half hours a day trying to accomplish something on social media while getting sucked into the idea of counting my "likes".

I need to think more about what I really define as succesful in terms of what I want to do with social media.  In order for me to feel like I'm not being manipulated into wasting my time by the instant gratification of social media I need to first think about what it is I am trying to accomplish.

Here is what I currently would like to use each site for and what I should stop using it for:

Pinterest
Use it for:
- pinning useful ideas for my job
- pinning references for my art work
- pinning books I should read or reference
Stop using it for:
- pinning stuffed animals for other people to repin
- pinning art work I think other people might want to repin

Blogger
Use it for:
- writing down a record my thought processes on the subject of art
Stop using it for:
- writing down what I think other people want to read about
- writing posts that make me sound like a know-it-all

Instagram
Use it for:
- finding artist community
-posting my pictorial meanderings
Stop using it for;
- trying to collect lots of "likes" on my posts
- trying to figure out what is popular

Steller
Use it for:
- (I may decide to stop using this all together)
Stop using it for:
- trying to collect "likes" and "views" on my stories
- trying to figure out what people want to see

Facebook
Use it for:
-Sharing my art with family and friends
Stop using it for:
- A source of world news

Etsy
Use it for:
- possibly as a way to connect with other artists. ( I may stop using this)
Stop using it for:
- Selling crafts and craft supplies

Wix
Use it for:
- A professional website to display finished quality works of art
- A place to direct people to who want to view my professional art
Stop using it for:
- mediocre paintings

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