In a world where information is easily accessible. Through social media, we have access to know things from current events in our world, to a friend’s decision to color their hair. We know more now today than we ever had access to. When I was growing up I didn’t know what my friends were up to until they told me the next day in class. But now, through social media someone can showcase to the world their whereabouts and what they are up to easily leaving you interested to know what will they do next? You don’t want to admit it, but you are now hooked. You now want to follow them around virtually so that you never miss out. Because the world is moving so fast, we always want to be in the know. We don’t want to be left behind or the last to know about what is happening. Since your peers are always posting, there is an added pressure to showcase your relevance over the internet and if it's not snapped, chatted, recorded, posted, or tweeted it’s like it never happened. So, do you feel pressure to stay relevant on social media?
Social media is a great tool today to help advance any product, career, or hobby you are trying out. It is taking everyday things and commercializing it without the commercials. It is giving the consumer, the viewer, or the average person the ability to showcase themselves or their craft to an audience. The best feeling is watching your following or friend request go from zero to a hundred real quick. But no one wants to feel their time to you is not being reciprocated by some sort of entertainment, or interest broadcast by you. Therefore, everyone is now working. Working to gain the approval of people because their following shows their relevance on social media. Social media has become more of a job than a leisure hobby. Everyone is working for a like, a comment, a follow, a friend request, or some sort of attention that shows “Hey I’m here, watch me!”
The pressure is now on. We post more about our experience then us actually experiencing it. Our presence is not present. We begin to think of our “fan’s” or “reader’s” needs as factors to a life they have no part in living with you. The followers become gods dictating your relevance on social media. We need peoples follows and likes, and like the circle of life they need ours. Their is an unspoken pressure to perform in order to stay relevant in this social-celebrity life on social media. Celebrities use to be individuals in our TV boxes so far away somewhere in Hollywood. Now the next generation of celebrities or fame lives right in your backyards.
Now, I write this to motivate people like myself who may be starting something or already has and is trying everything, from tap dancing on ice. You want people gravitate to you, because you believe in your mission, product, or vision. However, don’t give people the ability to pressure you into thinking what you are doing is not relevant. Though you are working and vying for their attention they hold no keys to fire you. Not everyone that stumbles to your profile is who needs or wants what you are offering.
It would not be me if I didn’t tie this back to Christ. Christianity today has 2.2 billion followers. This was able to happen by One God in a form of a man who had 12 disciples or let's call them followers;The ride or die friends that truly believe in you and not your ability to keep them entertained. If that was today Jesus probably wouldn’t even have social media and if He did it would say Jesus, followers; twelve, and following; one. Jesus stayed busy on the streets and His mission flooded into places far beyond His reach, with the help of twelve disciples. Twelve friends may look sad to most but Jesus had a way of putting His energy into the product rather than pleasing of the people.
Then Lastly David, David was a shepherd. I don’t think I ever ran into a shepherd and can’t imagine what he would be posting today. However, the moment He took down Goliath he received so much praise and even a hit song. But he just did what he knew how to do and that was use a slingshot with precision. After doing so, I can’t record people following him back to the pastures. If it were today he would immediately lose followers as they waited for his next big thing. Don’t let the pressure of people and their desire for quick info and entertainment bind you to be a puppet to gain their respect for relevance. Even the things that goes unseen is relevant to God. He will get your stage ready if that is where you belong and when you get there you won’t feel out of place, but relevant to what God wanted for you rather than others.