I thought I would take a minute and say a few words about why I left “social media,” and by social media, I mean Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and all the rest.
No Friends on Social Media
For one, I understand that solo classical and fingerstyle guitar is not everyone’s cup of tea. When you throw in the desire to play hymns and glorify God with your music, that field narrows even more. Friends on Twitter were literally zero.
I even tried Gab and Parler at one point, but found it …. disappointing. Especially after the 2020 elections, it seemed to me that people just wanted to fight more. Well, let them fight over the sandbox and I’ll continue making music and honing my craft.
No One is Following the Social Media Feeds
As much work as I was doing on arrangements and videos, trying to produce “sonic artwork” if you will. When I would finish a project, very few of those who did follow me on Facebook and Instagram. They didn’t seem interested in the final product. I’m not really one for adding gimmicks to get attention for my work.
People like it or they don’t. I finally came to the point where I’m okay with that. So, I decided that, instead of doing all the work to place these things on social media, I’d focus more on creating and less on promoting. I still have an online presence (obviously), but now I’m more focused on websites that I use in my craft (for instance YouTube, Soundcloud, Spotify, MuseScore, etc.).
Not Able to Get New Followers
Even after paying for advertising, there were no new followers. As I said before, I understand that there are very few people into what I do, but eventually, you get to a point and ask yourself, “why am I doing this?” Why AM I doing this?
- To play music and record and shoot videos because I want to share the Gospel with as many people as I’m able. Part of this is doing that.
- I love music. It’s one of the most beautiful things God has given us on this planet.
- I heard someone else say recently, don’t look for numbers, look for what you can do to encourage others. Music is a form of encouragement. So…
Social Media or No?
Just in case you were wondering why there are no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any of the rest of “Social Media” on my site…. that’s pretty much why.
7/27/21 Update. I totally forgot that I had a “Facebook” page and that my wife was an administrator. I’ve added it back to my social links, but please note, that I rarely look at it. The only time we see it is when we post a blog article on it. Anyway, if you want to follow via Facebook, I’ll leave it up for now.
2/19/22 Update. I really didn’t think I would come back to this article, but now have a second update. Except for YouTube, I’ve been off social media for over a year at this point and, to be honest, I don’t miss it. However, as I’m researching ideas for this blog/website, it has been suggested that I join Twitter and Instagram again. I won’t be putting any of it on my phone. It’s too much of a distraction.
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