Ep. 152 Social Fast

The topic and use of social media is more of a minefield today than ever and many are examining their relationships with the various platforms. Michael, Kegan and Mark discuss their individual ideas (again) and map out a plan to wean themselves and the NonProphet project off the social media teat.

The various issues addressed begin with the fact the relationships established using these platforms are subject to manipulation by unseen algorithms that result in a non-committal, low-quality way to engage with people. The poor quality of the broadcast (image quality, restricted audience reach, etc.) trains us to unwittingly sacrifice quality for the sake of convenience and that is a contagious characteristic that can infect all creative output.

Finally, from a business perspective, by using social media to reach potential customers, we voluntarily allow a third party to influence not only our messaging but also — again — our relationship with quality, and that refers to production but also to the meaningfulness of the relationships we establish and maintain by way of social media. The radical and likely the best solution is to cut off all use but until we figure out the mechanism to replace this particular addiction, which we believe we have done, then some use is required — the platforms (and our own behavior) have made us that dependent. It's time to flee this fouled nest.