Social Media 3.0: What if I don’t want to be on video?
Social Media 3.0 is here. The last holdout, LinkedIn, has joined the algorithm-crushing trend of video-first.
It’s a stressful time for marketing introverts. What if you don’t want to vlog or insta story every moment?
Can Marketers Be Camera Shy?
Not everyone wants to be on camera. Some of us are deep thinkers who find freedom with words on a page. Is there still room for us in Social 3.0?
I’m a camera-shy marketer. I’ve always been an introvert. I’m much happier under the stage in the pit orchestra than in the spotlight.
Giving presentations, leading workshops, and navigating a networking event are learned behaviors from twenty-plus years of practice.
I mask well.
What does video-first mean for people like me who need to promote their business — but, don’t feel comfortable on camera?
Acting vs. Authenticity
Can shy marketers fake it until we make it?
Maybe.
My parents enrolled me in acting classes at a young age. Social anxiety combined with undiagnosed ADHD made some interactions harder for me. Acting gave me the tools to perform. I still use those prompts today.
But, acting is different than being authentic.
Today, video-first success must be built on authenticity. The days of Gucci-clad influencers hawking fake diet plans have mostly ended.
Consumers today want the real deal. They want to hear real stories not be sold.
I follow a handful of YouTube personalities. The ones I like best are regular people giving unfiltered thoughts on their profession or special interest. They admit missteps, only promote a product if it is useful, and bring you along in their thought journey. It’s a beautiful thing to connect so personally with people you will never meet.
If I feel like I must act in videos, will it hurt the authenticity of my message?
It’s not about aptitude, it’s the way you’re viewed
Eventually, I’ll get myself on camera. Or, an AI-generated avatar of me will be on camera, preferably with one of those ‘obviously Ai’ clipped voices.
The only worry I have about video or nothing is the further celebritizing of non-performing professions. Will there be a further divide between the photogenic and the not? Will companies choose CMOs based on how pretty they look versus the most qualified?
I had an Executive tell me “I didn’t have the right look to be a leader.” I wasn’t tall, pretty, or thin enough to stand on the stage with him. I was smart enough to write the speech, but not attractive enough to give it.
“Popular. It’s all about popular!
It’s not about aptitude
It’s the way you’re viewed
So it’s very shrewd to be
Very very popular
Like me!”
This is the world that I fear for deep thinkers like me. What happens if our voices get lost in a world of sparkling smiles? Or, if those who gain the limelight give bad information?
I guess the answer is that I need to watch another makeup tutorial on Instagram, then bring my Gen Alpha to Sephora to buy more makeup.
Sing Along Reference from Wicked
