Father Time
|
1/27/2017 11:40:40 PM
What's your relationship with the world of social media?
Essay previously titled Neil Young as a kind of prophet (pertaining to social media)
I personally have been deeply involved in social media since around the year 2000. I had a short bout where I was somewhat famous on the internet not long after that, and I've also been in leadership situations ever since 2002, artist rights orgs, etc. I play many roles, musical, political, I sort of have staked my claim, have my own farm of followers and freaks, my voice has expanded to deal with the other social media flunkees, etc. in a way that of course is quite different than how I deal in real time with friends and family and business associates.
There are a couple of lines in Neil Young songs that describe this situation, my life as it's become, in the social media age. Neil gets to the point of emotions that describe better than any other writer or songwriter I've seen to this point. Maybe our spirits are similar, or maybe Neil is just ahead of his time because these things were sung back in like 74, long before there was a facebook or twitter or this crazy liquid world we've all become a part of.
I need a crowd of people but I can't face them day to day
I didn't set out to feel the way I do about the cyber world, and how you find your place in that world. Just the complexity of dealing with the diverse group of facebook friends. Some days you feel like you're winning, more often you don't. Today I released an article I was really proud of, was so unhappy about how little it was consumed that I opted off facebook. Have done that several times in the past and have various artist friends who come and go more often than myself, some stay gone. I had a close friend last year, who was also a fan from way back block me, I only today found out it had to do with a political argument we were both involved in. here I had thought it stemmed from me dissing his favorite band. Had another friend reactivate her account and I realized that being aware of her looking at my feed (assuming I got lazy and didn't specify her as a non-target) was going to color ever word I typed if she came back around. I also slightly changed my tone when my favorite teacher from high school became a friend. I was reminded of a time back in the 80s when I worked for the federal government on a 6 person operation where we spent so much time dealing with each other day after day, week after week, that I had become a chameleon of various colors depending on who I was working with that day, and when the worlds collided it caused me a ton of stress. That's the complications of trying to be the cool contributor to facebook, and please your various constituents you might say. I do feel I need a crowd of people but I definitely can't face them day to day. I doubt I would have this strange perception about a relationship with the supposed world without social media. and I'm not sure if it's developed my character or deteriorated it. :)
World is turnin', I hope it don't turn away.
I've felt it turn away many times. Like for instance when I start one of my so-called echo threads about the place of rock music in culture blah blah blah. :D That song On the Beach could be about many of us who spend hours online rising and falling, ranting and striving, absorbing and radiating.
Anyway this post was for the thinkers here of which there are a few, not for the ones who read ego in every word I type. I try to please you all too, and always feel you looking down on me, my art and my world.
|
|
Bryon Tosoff
|
1/28/2017 8:35:28 AM
Scott. good post, so yeah we all know your accomplishments and background so you are preaching to the choir. but good to be reminded. I would rather you end your spiel with something more positive, everything was good up until then. The last few sentences I did not get. That is the only part of your post I found on the down side. Dont denigrate yourself like that, I think you might feel that way, although I dont think like that about you at all, I support your art here constantly, probably more then most around here. And your Rants, on my Talk Radio station, so I Rather see you end with something more upbeat, but its your feelings, and they are real, cant discount that. It comes across like, Rodney Dangerfield, no respect. LOL anyways man you are doing a good job, leaders though should not need to be told they are doing a good job, or artists should not need to be boosted by someone saying, wow, so cool man, your music rocks.
Confidence and self appreciation and feeling good about what you do is what counts, not looking for praise, honestly, no need, believe in yourself, if you do, you wont have to seek approval Anyways, my thoughts, if this pisses you off or gets you mad, aint my fault shooting from the hip its how you take it with a grain of salt, like I always do. its how you hold yourself in your own eyes, dont look to others to, that is not the part that matters, anyways, thats my thought and it is the truth
|
|
Bryon Tosoff
|
1/28/2017 8:41:17 AM
oh and I started my first domain back in 1999 some way have done it way earlier, been around and pretty active in social media, but more so in promoting, one of the first indie promoters to use DMDS radiosubmit and digital submissions to radio stations way back, so my foray in social media and songwriting may not to the same extent as you Scott, but my footprint is pretty substantial . anyways, have a great day your work is appreciated. Just believe in yourself, that is what really counts. dont second guess or doubt, that just eats at ya cause unnecessary stress and doesnt help your confidence.
cheers
|
|
Father Time
|
1/28/2017 9:08:09 AM
Actually Bryon I grant you have a point, particularly because those last few sentences were written for another audience, a forum I go to where I can't seem to state an opinion about rock culture without a bunch of people going after me. Doesn't apply to the crowd here. Anyway said essay got removed there as too controversial so I was right about how it would be taken. I hate when I take the time to write something that doesn't really attack anyone and it still ends up trashed. heh
fwiw I'm working on an article about how to deal with social media acquaintances, not that I know, but because I want to strategize a better way to be able to deal with the facebook entourages.
|
|
Father Time
|
1/29/2017 3:34:10 AM
re: my subject matter, it seems music discussion is becoming more and more political in nature. I had this same essay again deleted by this other music forum, like the one about the Conversation with Dylan. Probably because discussing Neil Young by definition is seen as taking sides? I know I'm not feeling comfortable with what I posted here due to another discussion had here yesterday displaying that folks like Francesca seem to see every time I reference an artist who was born before 1990 as a not representative example, so since she is obviously a pretty smart lady, I now have to factor this idea into my social media. I seriously will think twice the next time I want to use a song from like in the case of this thread 1974 to express my feelings. In a few years even Nirvana will be considered a remnant of another whole age. Who's songs will I be able to use then to illustrate? I sense I'm not going to be doing a lot of illustrating points with songs in the future!
|
|