Something that has been brought more and more to my attention lately is how many people pay attention to the content I post online. I’m not saying that I’ve been completely oblivious to the fact that people actually watch or read the content, because I post it for others to watch or read. I’ve just had more conversations with people – specifically my bosses and professors – about the content I post.
Typically, when I am having conversations about my social media presence I am informing the person about it. When I had my rehire interview for my job on campus I was asked more about how I use my social media and how it could be used for the department than my actual experiences as an employee in the job. This was because I decided to cross my social media with my job and because of all of the media related jobs I have held over the last few years. They liked how I used it. So that’s a plus. In my social media class (ok, I realize that it would make sense to talk about social media in a class where that is the topic, just hear me out), my professor specifically called me out on the fact that I have a functioning YouTube channel and blog. This was because she wants those of us who already have established presences online to help those who are just starting out in the blogosphere.
I’m not saying that this is a problem, because it’s not. I am quite alright with people talking to me about it and asking for help and all of that jazz. It just doesn’t happen to me normally. So it is a new experience to have people coming up to me and talking to me about it. Stopping me and asking me if I make videos about books – that happened a few months back while I was doing my job. It’s a new feeling. That does not mean that it’s bad; it’s just different.
When I think about this becoming a regular occurrence for me, I can’t help but think of Roz from Monsters Inc.
It’s sounds a little creepy, but it is the truth. People are always paying attention to the things we post online – friends, family, employers. I’m not worried about the things I post because I have my posting philosophy – Don’t post anything you don’t want mama to know. No offense to any professors or employers or anyone who could play a role in my future, but I will always be more concerned with what my mother thinks of me. I want her to be proud of me and the things I have done. I know that she is, but it is always something in the back of my mind when I am considering what the focus of the content will be.
I guess you could say that my mother kind of acts as the Roz of my social media postings. Most in my generation were very annoyed at their parents for joining Facebook when we were in high school. I can’t exactly speak to their stance on that topic now because it isn’t a topic of discussion like it was then. I can honestly say that it has never bothered me that my mother is on most of the social media platforms that I am on. That is probably because of how my parents chose to monitor mine and my brothers’s social media. Growing up, in order to have any kind of online account two things had to happen. One – they had to approve it. Two – user name and password for the account written down. Some may think that this is invasion of privacy, I say it’s my parents looking out for me.
Anyway, I say all of this just to remind people that other people pay attention to what you post whether or not you actually see interaction with the content. I do not see many comments on my content, nor do I have many conversations about the topics I talk about. That does not mean that people do not pay attention and that you are not making a difference. It just means that it looks different than the typical social media presence.
Until next time… Kara