There are some things about it that have been bugging me for like the past 48 hours now, so I figure I better own up to them if I hope to earn back any of my head space.
1. I apologize for my negative tone. There's enough of that on the internet as it is, and we don't need any more of it. I wrote and published that post when I supposed to be making dinner, and I see now that a body should never type out their thoughts on any matter when they are probably more suited to star in a Snickers commercial.
2. I apologize to anyone who I may have unintentionally shamed or insulted for being a fan of Mrs. Hollis. God forbid that something I write might resonate with or encourage you, only for a person to come slap it right out of your heart, hangrily protesting "What has she ever done to deserve to tell you these things?!" I'm sorry if I did that, friend.
3. I apologize to Rachel Hollis, because I am certain she is one of the 37 people who read my last post. She works hard, no doubt. She has a team of people who work just as hard. She's obviously very, very good at what she does, and it was never my intention to suggest otherwise.
It was my intention to make you think about what advice you follow and why, and to remind you that you are just as capable and qualified and important as any influencer with a blue check mark by their name.
I used to think that "social media influencer" was some sort of unofficial descriptor--just a guy or gal with a bunch of followers. It never dawned on me for a second that it was a legitimate job title. But it is--and it's a fast-growing market, friends. Companies small and large are discovering that they can use influencers to sell their products with such high rates of success that some companies are even offering to train people in the "field of influencing," so that they can make the person (and thereby their product) even more profitable. And it's working!!
It's all a crazy, profit-bloated empire being built on the algorithms of our "likes."
No big deal, right? People have been trying to sell us stuff forever. This is no different...And hey, maybe it isn't.
But my hesitation comes from an unsettling feeling that social media influencers don't really think this is what they're doing. I believe that they briefly acknowledge the marketing as a small part of what they do, but they are convinced that the real impact of their online presence is serving the general populous for a greater good. They're not trying to sell us things. They're trying to make a change for the better.
Because of the bombardment of ads, info, and influence coming at us all the time, I feel like the lines between expert and influencer have been blurred. So, how might one spot an influencer?
-They have really generalized goals. If their end goal is to help you "chase your wildest dreams" or "unlock the true, hidden you" or "live your ultimate life with no apologies"...then get ready, because someone is about to tell you how this meal delivery service is a game changer that you can't live without.
-They shot a video of themselves in the car. They just got out of a really important team meeting, conference date, or coffee store errand and they they can't wait to tell you about it.
-Unnecessary selfie. There is a really heartfelt letter to her 10,000 closest friends (and whoever they feel led to share with) that you have to click "expand" on and then scroll down three times to read...captioned by a picture of her taking a giant bite out of a cheeseburger.
-She calls her followers "her tribe." Moms who are late. Moms who are messy. Moms who wear messy buns but not in a cute way (but it's totally cute, because she has a stylist and professional photographer as paid staff on her team...)
Hear me, sister. If you are in a "tribe," then you better darn well know who the chief is.
Silliness aside, these people are not dumb. They are incredibly smart and hard-working. They are paying attention to what is trending and jumping right on to ride the train. They are seeing what gets positive responses, what gets filtered, what gets seen, what gets searched, what gets scrolled, and they build for their client base just like any good business person would do. We're being wooed! But why?
Well, because we=likes=views=more product backing=more money=more notability=more likes...repeat to infinity.
Only that's not what anyone admits is happening. We're saving the world, one cheeseburger photo at a time.
Which brings me to this.
4. I said there were no ill feelings, but there were. Really, truly not toward any person, just in general. I'm mad at the system. But I can't point at the speck without pulling out the post in my own eye.
Maybe you've noticed the link to nowhere on the right side of my page. Maybe you've "liked" it or shared it. Maybe you think that picture of 24-year-old me is what I really still look like. It's all a humbling reminder to me that I would have walked down the same path I'm vilifying and thought I was doing the right thing.
Silly as it sounds, I count it one of the blessings of my life that this failed. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if it had done what I hoped for, I would have built a little "tribe" full of people that I would have banked all my self-worth on, and it would have ripped me apart and spit me out. I would have researched and flow-charted my way into your hearts, if you would have let me, and I would have done whatever I thought was worthy to keep you. I would have become a sellout and not even known I was doing it.
Praise God for failure, friends! It can be a redeeming thing, too. (Anything can, in His hands.)
So there. Now that that's out, maybe I can finally move on to the next right thing--whatever that may be.
Love to all,
Liz
Proverbs 4:23-27 – Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways
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