Being like everybody is the same as being nobody. - Rod Serling
You can tell, Rod.
Yet, I've got the sensation that in today's society that's what everybody's striving for.
Take Instagram as an example: you quickly recognize that being like all the others seems to be the ultimate trend here.
It's not only the style, the coloring and the setting of the photographs that's copied by all influencers, it's even the destinations they travel to, their whole way of living.
It's kind of creepy, isn't it?
To get a better understanding of how that whole market works, I opened a test account two weeks ago.
Here's how it felt being (like) an Instagramer.
Holy crap.
That's actually my short but precise résumé after my little vacation at the Instagram family's.
I had been using the application before but only in private mode.
Now I wanted to test how public content creation and distribution works here and how it feels to be part of the open Insta-Community.
These are my biggest takeaways after two weeks on Instagram:
- Nobody cares about content.
- Nobody seriously engages.
- Nobody votes or follows you because they like your content.
- Everything is just focussed on increasing the followers count, so if you don't follow someone back they'll immediately unfollow you then.
- Even people that comment on your post and tell you how amazing your work is, would unfollow you if you don't follow back.
- Everybody uses additional applications to track their follows and unfollows.
- Businesses invite you to cooperate, but if you text them, they never reply.
- All influencer accounts look the same, the more you fit in the merrier.
Now trying to be a cog in this crazy wheel felt incredibly repulsive, since all I did here is actually against my personal values.
I don't like to be like everybody else, and I would also never follow someone's account just because I may get a follow in return.
How could people actually support that type of movement?
To be honest, I'm shocked.
I seriously hope that this is not a mirror of our future generations.
If this is how people are supposed to interact with each other in the future, then we're in serious trouble.
The participants in this game have completely lost their creativity and their uniqueness as human beings. There is zero social engagement and no touch with reality at all.
In addition many of them completely sacrifice their lives to social media. Everything they do is set in scene.
There is no privacy and no limits.
To me it all looks like a damn creepy soap bubble.
So I tried to deactivate my account but it didn't work.
That's another great benefit of Instagram: You gotta be damn smart to find the exit.
I'm done, guys. And I seriously hope that this is just an app, and that people havent's seriously lost their minds.
Be unique, steemians! It's what human beings are all about.
Amen 🙂
Much love,
Marley -
PS: Are you new to Steem? Then you may be interested in reading this guide: Publish, Engage, Earn - Beginner's Guide to Steemit Author: @connecteconomy.
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This blog was created in July 2016, aiming to provide thought-provoking content for open-minded people who go on adventure, step out of comfort zones and embrace the new.
Thanks for being part of the journey!
PS: All my blog posts are created and submitted via eSteem Surfer - my favorite Steem desktop client that was developed by @good-karma's @esteemapp team. Check out their account for more information.
Original content.
Hey @surfermarly, thank you very much for your insights to Instagram and for sharing. This is also what I have realised. I have never gone as far as you did on Instagram. And reading your text let’s me know that other people also think like me. Thanks a lot and best regards
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Hi Marly! It’s kind of funny to look at how Instagram works, people want to increase their followers and likes, some even pay for it which is just a worthless number on a screen, yet are completely unaware about Steem.
Yeah, I don't understand how a simple followers count can make people go crazy that way :-D
They would never interact in the way we're doing right now.
It has a huge network effect though that’s the only thing, but I believe there will be a tipping point here too 😁
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From an economical point of view, I totally understand that. My question is rather what those type of apps do to the people who use it?
Nobody can tell me that those influencers who literally share everything about their lives online, are mentally alright :-D
Right, that’s exactly why I stopped using it, I almost felt uncomfortable being ‘forced’ posting at one point.
Seems like the influencer became the ultimate salesman and it is annoying, what a broken business model that is.
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Instagram really is a shit show of garbagelol but there are ways to market well on it.
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Yeah, shit show is another good word for it, haha!
Well market is not everything I'd say... what about the people? What will it do to them, to their kids?
In fact, originality is not such a simple thing. It is not easy to be an unusual person when you drown in inertia of the general human gray mass. Rise above yourself to see and realize that you are indistinguishable in a crowd, alas - not everyone is given this. Attempting to change something is a constant test of willpower and stress for a comfort zone. Stubborn desire is rewarded by purpose, but not always ...
But the opinion of the author is to my liking !!
I like your way of looking at it!
You're totally right: not everybody is made for a life on stage. Yet, I feel that those type of applications force people to go try.
According to those environments, you're nothing if you don't constantly travel the world (while you apparently never really work for it), wear expensive clothes, drive fast cars, have perfect looking babies and perfect looking bodies.
What I don't like about that insta-world is that it makes us believe that we're living in a perfect world where everybody looks like a supermodel and lives in a fantasy world where you don't need to work for your lifestyle.
Imagine that millions of young ladies follow those stereotyped ladies and believe that this is the ultimate life goal. I seriously hope that they have parents who teach them about the real world.
Sorry for the long reply, it wasn't planned to become a whole book :-D
Again, thanks for your thought-provoking comment, really appreciated it!
And again you are right!
It is difficult to be concise, when so many coincidences in views.
Each new opportunity, for those who are looking for, like a breath of air, as a window of opportunity into another, a new world.
And here you have to sometimes just believe and take a step ...
The paradox is that the fear of making a mistake often makes it difficult to take this very first step. It turns out the effect of a glass ball, when inside is not comfortable, and outside it is scary ...
Thank you for paying attention to my thoughts and attitude to the world, which is not visible to everyone!))
Thanks for sharing your sincere insight! #re-steemed
Actually that's how it always appeared to me. But it's a big difference to judge a book by looking at its cover or to write an own chapter in it. So I'll stick to what I think is the future & will only use insta to try to pull people off of it - if so :D
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Ha, that's a fantastic approach. I guess I'll be doing the same :-)
Thanks a lot for the resteem, that's much appreciated!!
Hope you have a nice weekend :-)
Well, you're already one step ahead of us 😆🤙
Thanks I will, beaching 😎 - no insta! You too!!
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Haha... yeah, it's so weird!
Sometimes I go back to my mannequin account, LOL.
https://www.instagram.com/steemitri/
I totally agree with your results... and I use an app to track my followers... at the moment I got 225 Followers... but my recent unfollowers are 346... so what kind of system is this?!?!?
I'm waiting for the next big thing, haha.
Big plastic hug!
Steemitri The Mannequin
Haha, my followers/unfollowers count looks similar to yours, yet I am stuck at about 75. It doesn't matter how much content I produce, I always go down to that number :-D
What a strange world...
Big natural hug back, haha
Your so right about the social media dysfunction @surfermarly! That’s why I messaged everyone on my Facebook giving them a chance to connect with me (in person, text, or phone call) about 2 months ago. I didn’t just want to “Unfriend” what Facebook considered to be my “Friends” but as it turns out... less than 20% of those people even bothered to write me back on Facebook let alone text or call. It was very eye opening to say the least!
Previously I had felt like everyone on the Facebook platform was talking but no one was listening... turns out that I was right about that assumption after all... unfortunately!
I honestly hope that this isn’t a reflection of societies social fabric and it’s current dysfunctions... but like you... I have a sneaking suspicion that it is.
Authentic connection like we have here on Steem runs counter to the trend and I hope it stays that way... otherwise it’s really just a bunch of noise and nothing else.
It really makes me appreciate what we have here on the Steem Blockchain!
Thank you for writing this post. It’s good to know that I’m not alone in my thoughts about the current state of social media.
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It's the perfect mirror to today's society!
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It is but ultimately it is a negative feedback loop. Instagram shapes society and vice versa. We suck.
I guess we have got to keep focused on the things that make us better...maybe then we will be able to build tools that bring society to the next level.
I strongly believe that the tools of the mind being developed in crypto tech can be used to do just that.
Privately issued digital currency detached from the erosive “negative feed back loops” of centralized and corruptible systems has the potential to change the dysfunctional algorithmic greed. I believe in the future people will call platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter social media 1.0.
Steem is the game changer! It’s social media 2.0 combined with digital money capabilities. I think this is special and as long as we get the context (underlying system) right... the content we generate could alter how people use and think about social media.
And the best part... we get to play an active role in all of this by practicing social media at a higher personal level.
Doing that is all about answering questions like, “How do I get people to care about the same things I do?”
So far... the answer to that, as I see it, is to care and comment thoughtfully on well thought out posts like this one. Caring is commenting and commenting is caring... and that’s what creates a health thriving community! 🙂
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Well said, which is why i always try to upvote comments. We need to encourage discussion between real people on Steemit. Id like to see it become more generalised content driven instead of just blogging. We can monetise social media properly then. As you said its very powerful. Currently artists and content creators get nothing for their work unless its through places like youtube or instagram for basically a shit experience for users. Crypto currency will change that and it will be great when it does. Crowd funding will be so powerful it will change the world for the better hopefully. This is what excites me about crypto but also i know in the wrong hands blockchains are scary, very scary and hope it doesn't go that way.
Your right you know... The tool can cut both ways. Knowing what I know about human nature and how we have "human'ed" over the course of history there is no doubt about it! We all need to ACTIVELY work as a community to creating the context that bypasses the back alleys of where all this COULD go if we take our eye off the ball.
What we are building does matter. And every comment is how we show up in the world. Comments are what make this experience (on this social media platform) REAL.
Looping on a positive feedback loop rather than a negative one is a simple choice of where you chose to connect and engage and how you choose to use the tool to amplify your thoughts.
Speaking of which! Thank you for chatting me up @jphamer1 and @roger.remix! Every time we take the time to mindfully impact the world it's like throwing a stone in a pond. We never know what the influence we weld until we show up in genuine and authentic ways... And you guys are doing just that!
Have you guys thought about joining in on the #Seven77 Push-Up Challenge that @nathanmars is coordinating? We are doing our best to bring users to this platform and away from Twitter. I know that if people could just experience Steem. If they knew all the innovative and amazing things this community is doing... They would be over here in a heart beat!
The idea is to post push-up videos every day for 77 days consecutively to Twitter with the intent to champion the Steem Blockchain. I think it's a capital idea!
I decided to get on board when a bunch of my followers started posting their push-up videos. Even @heiditravels was posting push-up videos. That's when I decided to jump on the train! And why not right?! Push-Up's is what personal trainers do! hahaha! :)
Anyways! If you guys haven't already, think about joining us! Together we are going to actively start a movement to change things and I, personally, think it will work! :)
So true - and will be viewed (and exhibitioned) in the future as "comment poetry" 🤭 Actually you both, @wil.metcalfe & @jphamer1 inspired me to write a little essay about it. But as I know myself that might take a while 😅 so I'll be better off having a look at Nathan's challenge. I think he'll be at the @dtube.forum too if I'm not mistaking!?
For sure, let's link up & move the bigger Steem vision forward!
Combined forces 💪
Are you using Partiko &/ Discord?
Great to get in touch with you guys!! Networking factor in Steem is really undervalued, but shouldn't be underappreciated 👌
Enjoy your weekend!
That hits the nail on its head! - especially the (wrong) "hands on the Blockchain" part. Let's see if it's the nail in our own coffin. We still got some time left. Let's use it well! In one way or another we write history - block by block. By the way: would the Bible be written on the Blockchain in these days? 🧐😇
Well put! What a world it'd be if we could just use these tools properly - ay 🤗 heartwarming 😄
.. but that's why I like the Steem approach. Real Steemians are not drinking others people's brain juice only, they squeeze their own melons! 🍉
In this post & these few comments there's more of it than I saw in my last year on Facebook. So I hope we're on the right side of history when it turns the pages!
What's possible over here is really unimaginable for one's mind. The dependency on the tech sucks, but we're gonna figure that out on the way. We kinda have to. Once the bots are becoming the spiders, who are we in the web?!? 🙄 AI-ay-ay. And who's gonna clean up the mess?! - Wall-E!!! 🤖🤪
This is why in general i shy away from talking about crypto currency with people, Its just not in their vocabulary yet. It will come though, they will come. People unfortunately are like sheep, they need re-assurance from everyone else or they are too afraid of being bullied or ridiculed.
Sad but true. "Social proof" is a bitch and "social media" lets us behave like cheap prostitutes - or liked shaved sheep. What a fuckery! Also we are kinda trapped between the "old" & the "new age". And since with awareness and knowledge comes responsibility we have no other choice than to appeal to each and everyone's intention and independent thinking. "Oh Lord, let it (b)rain!" 🙏
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Yep, one day we'll all be so pissed off by (ourselves in) the echo chambers, that we start facing it - or rather us 🙄 .. can't wait for that day to come, so I keep on pushing! 😁
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That’s a scary thought... social media as a mirror. How we connect with each other or as I like to call it, “How we human” does matter. It is my sincere hope that we can continue to build the Steem Blockchain counter to this unsettling trend.
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I tried Instagram recently and I just don’t get the point. You can’t even share stuff! You have to download and reupload it - what?? Beschäftigungstherapie...
Yet, a friend of mine recently bought an instagram name and paid as much for it as a car....
Also, this happened a couple of weeks ago, if you want to be a little more shocked: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/lifestyle/2019/04/i-m-nothing-without-my-following-instagram-star-films-her-own-breakdown-after-account-deleted.html
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That is the problem .... there is no point in there :))) .... This pages Instagram is built for this purpose to get you privet info, what go up in market where only very large corporations can use it.
Thanks for mentioning eSteem app. Kindly join our Discord or Telegram channel for more benefits and offers on eSteem, don't miss our amazing updates.
Follow @esteemapp as well!
I was stop posting there last 3 years back ... Instagram just takes my photos there up and give me nothing, but when I was come here.... I put all my Instagram black and white photos here up 3 years back... I get in one month 3500 euros..... so I not want post more in Instagram, I not work free more...Sorry. My life also has value ... not just Upvotes.
And how this black and white looks what is up there... you can see my old photos there up ... pages name is same what is here @ foxkoit .
https://www.instagram.com/foxkoit/
spot on, it's 99% fake, although I've seen big accounts with real engagement, specially of SOME public figures like DJs. But the rest of it is all fake, you are right
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I have heard about this Instagram stuff but I don't know why it does not interest me to join. Or maybe I just dislike it at the first instance but who knows, I may later join