I haven't posted any vlogs in the last couple of months for a simple reason: I don't get it. Yes, I understand the importance of a presence across various media platforms. Yes, I understand the arguments we, as authors, are told. But, I just don't get it.
I am not having fun.
This extends to Twitter and Facebook. I have now joined Instagram. I joined because I'm expected to be there. I added the stream to my Hootsuite program and I assume my missives are sent into the ether to be ignored along with the rest of the noise out there.
I wonder whether this is my fault--for not sharing more personal thoughts or emotions. Perhaps if I open up, the world will open up to me. I share my thoughts and receive the same thing: indifference or polite 'likes' as people maintain contact. It is not that different to the almost imperceptible nod or smile that we share with commuters we never speak to yet see on a daily or weekly basis.
As I write this, I am thinking that perhaps that's all these social platforms have become: curated commuter trains. With that image in mind, I begin to 'get it'. But I'm still not having fun.
In terms of my vlogs, I think about the hundreds of millions of dollars Hollywood executives spend in making movies--just to garner our attention for an hour and a half (or so). Perhaps I need to 'up my game' and make an effort to put on a more slick presentation. Then I think about people like Amal Clooney. Yes, she is the wife of George, but she is also an amazing human rights barrister. When you google her, what comes up? What she wore, how she looks, and where she's going (glitzy parties or beach appearances). Amongst this noise is the work she does highlighting genocide amongst the Kurds (and Yazidis). She also represents Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks. Pretty cool stuff. She says that a lot of good work happens behind the scenes away from the cameras and media. But, that being said, she also acknowledges that her being married to GC provides her with a platform to spread her message.
That, I get.