The Masks We Post
My name is Matt Cole and I am addicted to the internet. Or at least that's what I tell people when I don't feel like explaining that "the internet" is my job. I'm not actually addicted to the internet, but I do think I spend to much time here. That's why I spent some extra time this week offline. I recommend you do the same. As the kids say, "go touch grass."
If you follow me on TikTok, hearing that I was offline last week may be surprising. If you don't follow me on TikTok, (shame) you likely don't know that I posted every day last week. Outside looking in, these two facts may seem at odds. But allow me to rip the wool from your eyes and explain that "posting" and being "online" are different and not mutually exclusive.
Why I Logged Off for a week
Webster's Dictionary defines "masking" as making something indistinct or imperceptible. Webster's Dictionary actually provides 20+ definitions for the word "mask," but this is the one that suits my point so it's the one you're getting.
Social media posts, especially for businesses and content creators, are masks. They are ways to present a preferred lens through which we hope to be seen. Posts are a filter through which we attempt to push our personalities without distorting the smiling image we put forward.
These masks serve an important purpose: attracting people to your content. But, after a while, masks get cumbersome and sweaty and you just have to take them off. And once you take your mask off, standing in a room of other people wearing masks get's infinitely more uncomfortable.
"But Matt, shouldn't we be genuine in our content?"
Yes absolutely. But being genuine while posting as a business or content creator requires more tact and a different delivery than being genuine in your personal posts. I am a firm believer in putting your morals and beliefs front and center in your messaging and branding. You can check my MLK message from my newsletter if that was unclear. However, your business or personal brand on social media revolves not around your belief, but around your content. And if you can't keep the content churning, you won't be able to effectively spread your message, no matter how subversive it is.
Look, let's not sugar coat things, shit sucks right now. But no one is coming to @bahnfyrePR on TikTok to hear about it. They're coming to my TikTok to hear about social strategy and digital marketing, so that's what I post about. I don't want to sugar coat this either, that reality fucking sucks.
So what should you do?
Have you ever walked into a bar and immediately thought, "I do not belong here" but now you've already been noticed and you nervously ordered a beer? How were you able to so quickly tell that you did not belong? OR, for a more light-hearted example, have you ever walked into a bar and immediately thought, "I do belong here," and your butthole unclenches?
In most cases, bars have a vibe. This vibe tends to be displayed in the clientele, the décor, or what's on TV, but not by what's on tap or how much the pizza costs. In short, the vibe doesn't change the services rendered, but Miller Light tastes even worse with Fox News in the background.
Your audience should be able to smell who you really are based on the vibe of your content, that's what it means to be genuine. Posting about a new sale or a new product can feel soulless on days when the Equal Opportunities Act is revoked, or when ~200 federal employees are blindsided by layoffs with another ~200,000 or so on the way, or when some chucklefucks in Idaho ask the Supreme Court to overturn marriage equality. And on those days, sometimes it's easier to just schedule a post and log off. But the next time you schedule a post, think about the vibe. How does it smell?
In Conclusion
Here are the shirts I wore on TikTok last week.
This blog was originally published as part of our weekly newsletter. If you'd like to have insights like this sent straight to your inbox, you can subscribe for FREE. One email a week and no spam, I promise. It will keep you updated on when I write more things like this and all of the other content I produce.