Social Media

I don’t think I could have built an online profile and identity without the use of social media. I’m not an addict, and do not spend hours on social media.

However, I’m able to interact more on this blog and on Quora than social media sites. LinkedIn used to be a great site for posting articles and getting engagement, but it stopped after Microsoft acquired it. They changed algorithms.

There we go. we depend on platform algorithms and hashtags to get attention on social media. I have nice groups on Facebook and Whatsapp for financial education. Discussions are targeted and not random.

Twitter and Instagram do not work for me though I have a presence there.

The issue is we do not know when and where will a potential client or employer come looking for us, and we need visibility.

A debt recovery agent once told me they are able to trace absconding defaulters by their updated profiles on job sites, rather than social media. People have learnt to hoodwink the system, and everything we see on social media is not authentic.

Social media is not going anywhere, because it is the contemporary version of townhalls and courtyards, where people gathered. AR and VR will change the scenario though. Short attention spans will compel them to keep reinventing formats. Users will keep reinventing identities in line with that ‘their’ market demands.

I like to share ideas and have intense discussions on topics. Social media encourages flashy pictures, very few words and algorithm-oriented content.

How will the Twain meet? Since the mountain will not come to Mohammed, I guess I’ll have to climb it and discover new peaks.

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Friday Faithfuls