A word about social media

I grew up in a era without social media. Not to sound like old man Mike, but I didn’t get my first computer until I was almost out of elementary school. Granted, we didn’t have middle school where I was, so I was probably 6th grade when I got an Apple IIe. And we didn’t have the internet until I was a junior in college! Yeah, it was distracting and addicting even then. I didn’t get my first “smartphone” until 2010, and that was a Blackberry. So no social media for me. But since then, I’ve made up for lost time and am currently on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Snapchat (rarely).

Social media is a double edged sword. On one hand, you can use it to communicate with friends and family around the world, let your voice be heard, have access to celebrities, get your news and information. I was listening to the American History Tellers podcast about the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 and about how the news of the fire would take weeks to reach other cities. Now, that kind of event would be live streamed for the world in real time.

Social media can also be used for not so noble purposes. Cyberbullying, abuse, attacking others, misinformation, screaming at each other, are all aspects of social media that we could do without, but you can’t have the good without the bad. So what do we do as voice actors when it comes to social media? I’ll tell you how I handle it.

I use the good parts of social media to promote my business. Specifically, LinkedIn and Instagram are my two main spots I hit hard. There’s very little drama on LinkedIn, and you can connect and grow your voice over group. You can connect with tons of people who can give you work. Instagram is mostly the same way. You connect and develop relationships with potential clients, producers, casting directors etc. I use Facebook primarily to keep up with friends and family. Sometimes it’s fun to post political stuff or opinions, but for the most part, that only leads to trouble. Twitter is a mess. I stay off as much as I can except to post my marketing content or look up casting calls. There’s so much hate and screaming on Twitter compared to other platforms. I don’t know how people stand it.

Another aspect of social media for your voice business to be aware of is comparing yourself to others. Sure, we all like to post about a new agent we got, or a job we booked, or a new mic or booth we just upgraded to. It’s really easy to get jealous of others’ success and to get down on yourself and ask “why haven’t I gotten there yet” or “How can they afford that and I can’t? I must be a loser”. Remember this, social media is a highlight reel, it’s not a mirror. Everyone’s journey is different. There will be people who are ahead of you, and there will be people behind you. No one is right where you are. Keep walking your path and you’ll get there.

Social media is a necessary evil in our lives and businesses. Be careful about what you post, use it for good. Remember, people will look up your social media before they hire you. What you post can affect your employment, both good and bad. Look at Gina Carano. She got canned for what she posted.