Navigating the Challenges of Social Media as a Creator

How do we hold on to the heart of our creations?

We live in a culture where participating in social media has become integral to our social and professional lives. As such, as a creator (of any medium or approach), participating in social media has become a main method for sharing our creations. So, as a creator who seeks to support the creator within us all, it would be remiss of me not to mention it.

That being said, the priorities and pressures of sharing on social media don’t always line-up with our priorities as creators. So,

How do we hold on to the heart of our creations as we navigate the pressures of social media?

On the positive side, social media promises to offer an opportunity to share our creations and communications with a global audience, fostering important connections with people in our field or area of interest. However, in the lived reality of social media, in order to gain those connections, consideration of the algorithm is considered essential. As such,

The underbelly (though obvious) motivations of social media are:

• to gain the attention of others

• to be liked by others

• to gain the support of others (emotional, social or financial)

To that end, since the advent of social media, “the science of attention” has been a popular topic for research. This term refers to the neurological conditions of humans which biologically (and subconsciously) drive us towards some content more than others. Here are

Some of the suggestions for creating successful content on social media (with the “science of attention” in mind):

1. to engage the brain’s rewards system (which is largely driven my dopamine) by creating anticipation, rewards, and/or a sense of achievement in posts¹².

2. to engage the human stress response and negativity bias. Fear, anger and/or sadness cause the brain to process and engage more rapidly³⁴. We notice these emotions more quickly and remember them more frequently.

3. to consider the short-attention span of people scrolling by creating short, clear, and concentrated content.

Then, to stay in the algorithm, the advice is to post consistently and frequently.

Oooph. This advice really throws me for a loop.

So, I’ve spent a lot of time investigating what to do. But before we get into any kind of conclusion (which won’t come in this article as it’s more aimed at understanding), here’s a little more about my personal story with social media:

Since I didn’t grow up with social media, I was old enough when it came out to see how much it impacted and changed my life. In the process, I’ve left social media a few times. The first time I left when I was having more engagement than ever, but my mental/emotional state was a mess. One day I noticed that I checked my notifications no less than every five minutes. I’d hungrily watch for which posts got more attention, and which got less. I’d spend hours trying to figure out why some succeeded while others didn’t, and how I could replicate the content that got more engagement. My whole life was consumed by anticipating the extent to which I was being liked by others.

Realizing that I was addicted, I stopped cold turkey. I had to regain my footing. But, when I returned, I lost my place in the algorithm completely. Zero engagement. So, I worked hard to find my way back by following the suggestions of social media experts. That’s when I started taking classes. But, when the main message of one class (that I spent an enormous amount of money on) was to make content that was as polarizing as possible, (again) I had to stop- this is not what I’m here to do as a creator. I’m not here to polarize people -I’m here to help us come together. Maybe it’s not very sexy, but it’s me. The hope of peace is what keeps me breathing.

So, again and again, I’d leave social media. But, each time I left, I did continue making art for myself, and the process of making it did continue to serve peace within me. My mental health continued healing. My heart continued growing -even without an audience.

Still, eventually, I’d feel strong enough to go back to social media (as part of the heart of my art is to share the love that I make with it). But, it wouldn’t take long for my mental health to decline. Time and again, I have retreated to the heart of my creation, and then returned to social media to share it. And, time and again I have felt the impact of social media on my confidence and compass: What am I really here for? Do I actually have any value?

All that being said, I refuse to fall into despair. I wholeheartedly believe that every obstacle can be overcome with gratitude and creativity. How can I look at this differently? Where can I find a gift? Where’s there a silver-lining?

In the case of social media, my obsession with notifications reflected a much deeper social pattern that I carried since I was very young. Desperately-wanting-to-be-liked was not new to me; it impacted me just as deeply even before social media started to deliver concrete numbers of popularity. That being said, my challenges with social media forced me to reevaluate this pattern, and to heal it -which has been one of the most valuable journeys that I’ve ever embarked on.

In the process, I’ve learned so much about what it is to be human, including how we’re wired to want to be liked, and how we’re wired to hold on to the bad things that people say about us (as well as the things that scare us) more than the things that lift us up. It’s all very natural from the viewpoint of survival.

And yet, if I follow the desire to be liked by others as the number one factor for what makes me feel safe and worthy, I lose myself completely, and whole other kind of depression sinks in. I lose the will to live. Learning to stay true to myself, and to love myself with no external validation (except from the crickets) has given me a stable sense of inner-peace. I’ve made a sanctuary within me that gives me the courage and confidence to keep going, even in the face of all the challenges that we face in the world today.

What a true gift.

Still, social media is a challenge that I haven’t quite figured out yet (though holding on to my self-worth in the face of the popularity game does feel like quite the feat). At this time, what feels most important to me is to remain clear about what I serve in the process of creating. I’m not creating with social media in mind. I create for peace. This is to say, in the process of creating and refining my art, I hold firm boundaries around what’s influencing me. Then, once my art has been fully created, I can use social media to share it. Though I’m still figuring out how to do that, I consider it great progress to have the heart of my creative practice protected.

Still, the pressures of social media can be sneaky, making it important to know how to identify them. With that in mind,

Here’s some of the social media standards that still feel challenging to me (and that I still need to keep an eye on, diligently).

The Emphasis of Quantity Over Quality

There was a time that I made all improvisational art and short-form content. As, as such, I didn’t have the time to more-in depth creations. Since then, I’ve begun to cherish the time that it takes let my creations simmer (read more here). It’s in this cooking time that I often find the most fulfillment and growth of love and peace within me. The pressure to share daily content can compete with the time that it takes to craft slow-cooked creations. This can make me feel torn, conflicted and unfocused. In the end, I’ve chosen to prioritize the deep-dive while accepting how that might mean that sometimes I post less frequently.

The Loss of Nuance

Short-form/bite-sized pieces often don’t leave room for nuance, which is at the heart of metaphor (and all my reflective art). My message isn’t always obvious. It’s not supposed to be. The creation of peace is an inherently nuanced process of integration where subtle paradoxes are embraced. This is difficult to convey in a sentence, a few of seconds, or a singular image. Peace is the amalgamation of many pieces. Like any worthy puzzle, it takes time.

Along those same lines, the making of peace is not as simple as “like” or “dislike.” When I read/watch/see/listen to other people’s work, there’s often things that I really agree with, and others that I see differently. I imagine there’s folks who feel the same way about my work. Acknowledging the parts that unite us while seeking to harmonize in these subtle places where we’re different is when we grow the most in our interactions. Aiming for simple “Yes! I like this! or “No I don’t” inhibits the peace that’s made when we realize that we’re both.

The Slippery Slope of the Human Negativity Bias

The human negativity bias is our neurological tendency to be drawn to negative content more than positive content (as a survival mechanism); we notice, remember and act more quickly when there’s perceived danger⁵. This makes us prone to notice and engage more negative content on the internet -which makes it tempting (as an artist) to purposefully create content that evokes anger, fear and sadness in order to get more attention. I’ve done it.

That being said, as one who creates to uplift and bring peace, working with anger, fear, and sadness is an essential part of my process of creation. Organic expressions of those emotions are important and can be greatly supported by reflective arts (read more about how emotional inventory helps me). That being said, as I understand how those emotions tend to get amplified in the algorithm, knowing how to share them in a way that still opens doors to peace can be difficult and confusing. Again, I find that highlighting nuance is helpful. Still, this can also be hard because those emotions (especially anger) often cause the brain to go into flight-or-flight mode, where nuance is very difficult to access⁶. So, it’s delicate.

The Difficulty of Holding on to Confidence and Self-Worth

Though I’ve gotten used to it, it’s still not easy to pour my whole heart into creating something, and sharing it enthusiastically, only to be met by the crickets. It still hurts regularly. Though my conscious mind understands that what’s going on isn’t necessarily a reflection of my true worth, lovability, or connection in this world, and though I find great benefit in the process of making the art itself, my biological desire to be connected and valued by my community is undoubtably triggered by the zeroes.

That being said, I’ve heard folks with very high numbers express the very same sentiments. I often hear these folks talk about the stress that comes with keeping the numbers high, or that comes anytime we compare our numbers to someone who happens to have higher numbers.

All this to say, counting the popularity of humans feels inherently challenging, no matter where one is on the scale. I have to work hard everyday to remember that I’m valuable, and that the time that I spend making art is also valuable. Thankfully, I have a mysteriously deep belief in my process and creations that has allowed me to endure an ongoing (and excruciating) sense of invisibility and isolation. That I’m still here feels like miracle that’s bigger than me, and that I lean on regularly.

Unrealistic Standards for Life as a Human

Real life is much messier than it is on the screen. It’s not as technicolored as saturated filters would have us believe. Our day-to-day conversations are not as curated as they are in our written stories. Our skin is not as smooth as it looks with blurring. Our lives in-motion are not as in-focus as the cinematic setting. Our voices are not as full-bodied as they are with reverb on our singing. Sometimes our voices crack. Our clothes gets caught in our underwear. We spill mustard on our shirt. We fumble our words. As AI emerges as a helpful tool for creation, our imperfections are the clear indicator of what makes us beautifully human. Keeping some of our raw-humanity in-focus helps to hold on to our sense of self-worth when our messy lives don’t live up to the ideals of our extremely refined creations. Indeed, every time I use a tool to hide my blemishes, I send myself the message: “This part of you is unwanted.” With that in mind, honoring our raw-humanity (alongside the parts that are more refined) helps me avoid feeling like my lived experience is perpetually inadequate.

That being said, though vulnerability has become a valuable term in many circles, the reality of the internet is that it doesn’t always feel safe to share our imperfections there. I remember a time when I was committed to extremely authentic and vulnerable posting. I’d challenge myself to share things that were embarrassing to me. Though people seemed to like it, (again) I was a mess. I’d have what I called “vulnerability hangovers” where I’d spend the rest of the day (after posting) feeling completely, raw, overexposed, and excruciatingly anxious (these were the days when I spent every moment checking notifications). Though most people were nice to me in the comments, in general, public comment threads can be ruthless -and just the threat of that was enough to send me spiraling.

All this to say, navigating this inherent conflict of interest -to feel safe and to stay authentic- can be very challenging.

The Digital Divide: Unequal Access

The digital divide⁷ refers to the unequal access that humans have to the internet (and all the technology/tools related to the Internet). Though tech tools are more widely available than ever, they still cost money (with the best quality often costing the most). This means that those without a lot of money have a much harder time meeting these standards; it’s not uncommon for incredibly valuable creations to be overlooked simply because they don’t meet the technical standards of a highly competitive attention economy. Similarly, technical and/or cosmetic refinement can take a lot of time (and/or collaboration), which not everyone has access to within the busy lives of supporting a family and/or community. The fact that some do not have these limitations (while others do) is important to note if the aim is to create a society in which everyone who has something meaningful to offer can be heard and valued. Indeed, essential insight can be found in wealth, poverty and everything in-between. As a society, we benefit greatly from the inclusion of these diverse perspectives. So, I try not to let technical precision be a marker of what makes something worthy of my attention (my own work included).

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All that being, I know that I’m not alone in the challenges that artists face on social media. To the that end, the purpose of this post is simply to look at what’s tough while staying connected to the optimism of asking:

How do we hold on to the heart of our creations as we navigate the pressures of social media?

What else do you find challenging about sharing the heart of your art on social media, and what strategies have you found that support you?

With trust in the ways in which life’s challenges help us to grow,

May we all find meaning in the process of balancing the benefits of our heart’s sincerest creations with the digital pressures of connecting in the modern world.

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