What makes a good book? The setting? The characters? The artistry of a good sentence? The plot devices that further a narrative or deepen your understanding?
Well, if you have some answers to that question, then it might be time for you to start your own BookTube.
Social media has become a fundamental part of digital marketing over the last decade or so. Developers behind these platforms have worked to incorporate business tools to assist marketing professionals while also attending to the interests of users. But some of the most effective forms of social media marketing have been driven by content creators rather than professional developers or marketers.
Many tasks feel futile in a pandemic. Many of us are just trying to survive, and anything outside the basics feel superfluous. I’ve certainly wrestled with those feelings since lockdown began, but a year later and I’m, thankfully, doing alright. Subsequently, I’ve been left with a lot of free time and those superfluous activities transformed to essential ones.
Cosplay, and just dressing up in general for Instagram, became a keep busy activity for me. There are no in-person conventions going on, but dressing up at home is one of the only times I feel creative. Donning a costume felt like the last like glimmer of fun left in the world.
Over the last almost-year, basically all of our socializing has gone online out of necessity.
There are a lot of positive points to that. We’ve got “party” setups for streaming services, businesses and events are learning how to manage online counterparts, and a lot of us are becoming versed in streaming.
But with that increased connectivity comes a new wave of issues to navigate—among them the blurring line between the social and the parasocial.
Okay, I know the title is a bit over the top. We aren’t really in the end times, but things definitely feel a bit apocalyptic right now. Grocery stores have been ravaged, businesses are shutting down, and the world feels beyond hectic. One of the biggest things we can do to flatten the curve is social distancing. This can be difficult for a lot of us as socializing is a huge part of our lives (and frankly, our needs).
Let’s be real, social media is amazing. It allows you to keep up with old friends, make new ones, discover whole groups of people who have your interests, helps you find new interests. Some have found their significant other. It helps you keep up with news, not to mention the animal videos!
But let’s be real, social media is often terrible. Political bickering, back biting, drama, the constant need to feel validated by someone commenting on whatever it was that you shared, “facts” that are shared, that one friend or family member that you aren’t quite sure about, who might be stalking your profile, just not always a safe space. Especially emotionally.