Mean Girls + Coil?
In honor of it being October 3rd and the movie “Mean Girls” being the epitome of the power of social spheres falling apart (Ya know, Regina George ruling the school, Cady fighting for the top dog spot, three girl fights later and a public outcry for change leading to restructure of the pyramid power?)- I’d like to talk about how I have seen social media start to break down and how we can learn from it as to not let the same things happen on Coil.
For those of you who have not seen Mean Girls (it's the Breakfast Club of Gen Z) just hang with me!
One of the best parts of social media is the fact that you instantly have access to millions of people at your fingertips. You no longer have to wait for dinner parties, daily newspapers or magazines to find out what’s going on in the world around you.
One of the biggest perks of Coil is that they’ve taken and created, what I would consider, a new version of social media without the annoying ads and the constant #influencer everywhere you go.
As I work in social media and have spent countless hours navigating the platforms, analyzing user data and doing deep dives into marketing and consumerism, I have a few reflections I’d like to present- where social media has gone wrong per se.
Let’s start on a positive note though- the *perks* of social media.
Like I mentioned before it is amazing the tools that we now have in front of us to instantly connect with friends, family and for business owners, potential clientele, all around the world. At any hour we can easily connect with whomever we want, however we want.
This goes hand in hand with instant connection, but social media gives you a chance to connect with like-minded people and business owners. You are able to expand your clientele base and your network of colleagues within your market. You have the ability to join groups, gain insights, receive advice and enjoy camaraderie with others like yourself.
DISCLAIMER: THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING INSPIRED BY CONTENT AND STRAIGHT UP COPYING IT.
One thing I love about social media is that I am constantly finding inspiration in what and how people are creating. I love that I can explore different types of art, photography, writing, graphic design and strategies just from exploring different pages. That being said, as my disclaimer states, there is a difference between being inspired and creating something of your own out of that inspiration and straight up copying someone else’s techniques and styles. Copying may be the best form of flattery, but you better drop their handle and give them some credit, otherwise it’s outright stealing.
Now let’s get to the *problematic* aspects of social media…
This was something I used to love about social media. It used to be that if you didn’t post for a few days or weeks that you’d have your followers messaging you and commenting on other posts asking where you’ve been. As the algorithms have changed, we have gotten into a habit of forgetting about people we love and letting creators go months without creating. Community is important, consistent community is important. The problem is that with an influx of fake accounts, users creating multiple accounts and censorship occurring for specific markets, we are getting to a point where the creators don’t even matter anymore and therefore they are not being held accountable to the quality and kind of content they are creating.
I will be the first person to tell you that you have the power to be influential. But I will also be the first to tell you that if you plan on being influential, you better have something that you are an expert on and you better come to the table with grace, confidence, poise and original content. There is nothing that drives me crazier than watching an influencer pop out copy after copy of themselves. This mainly occurs in the world of social media influencing and fashion influencing when women (and men) dress the same, shop at all the same stores, use the same preset, take the same $50 brand deals and call themselves “an influencer”. It’s a serious pandemic that businesses and the rest of the world are starting to wake up to. They’re tired of being sold to CONSTANTLY. They’re tired of wading through accounts and more accounts that all look the exact same! They’re tired (as business owners) of being scammed into deals that put them in the red. People are tired of people demanding respect and influence when they have not in any way earned it. Everyone can have influence, but you better be ready to work for it and earn it.
This also goes hand in hand with point two. Ads are annoying and they’re out of control. How can you avoid ads? Sign up for Coil! 😉
As I have explored how social media as a whole has effected the majority of online users, you can quickly see how patterns have developed and lead to problems on social media. As an early adopter of Coil and someone who has spent a lot of time waiting for a user friendly, user protected and passionate creator based and driven platform, I desire to protect it at all costs. It’s important to keep these patterns in mind when creating content and spending time on this platform. If we’re not careful, we will repeat history and Coil will be forced to succumb to the same rules and regulations that are “ruining” Facebook and Instagram for creators and users.