035: The Value Of Likes

Likes matter. Right? We use these numbers as a way to gauge interaction, to see what people respond to and compare our fan engagement to that of others. These interactions are increasingly used as an easy tool to measure success - you need them when you submit a grant, in showcase and festival applications, and for award nominations. Likes matter. But it’s a matter I like to think we have backwards.

When it comes to digital ‘likes’ they all have the same value, and they are unlimited. People can give out as many likes as they want - they have an endless supply. A like for your new video has the same value as a like for other artists' new video, the latest Baby Yoda Meme, or that absurd thing that politician just did. They are all the same. 

True value is created through supply and demand, yet through the gamification of social media platforms we are now competing for a resource that is unlimited and has no intrinsic value to it, and then using these numbers to assign actual value on your career. 

But that ‘like’ you just received from one of your followers - well they just handed out 25 more today. Using that as a tool to judge anything seems absurd.

I’ve had a few interactions over the past weeks that helped shape this idea for me. A musician friend I know received a giant card (it was like 2 feet tall!), from a group she had recently worked with. It was filled with handwritten personal notes about the experience, thanking the artist for the time they spend together. On this artist's next grant application, this interaction means nothing - but if this was instead 40 more followers on Facebook, it would matter. Common sense would tell you that the interaction these people had was far more valuable than anything happening on social media. 

I was out for coffee with another artist friend recently. As he was ordering his coffee the barista asked about the felt heart he had pinned to his jacket.  You could see a genuine connection as he shared the story behind the heart and how it connects to his current musical project. This will never show up your social media metrics. If it was a mouse click would it have meant something?

I don’t know if I have a specific point with all of this, but I think it is a feeling more and more people are starting to share. We’ve got way too many eggs in the social media basket right now. I think there was a time when social media reflected the actual connection artists were having with people. I think that the pendulum has swung so far the other way we are trying to use social media to ‘create’ something, instead of just letting it be a mirror for what is actually happening. I don’t think you ‘need’ social media, I think lots of people are proving this. I think if you are feeling apathetic about your social media presence, don’t. Do what feels right, don’t post 3 times a day because you should. Don’t have a twitter account so people can tag you. Do look for ways to have genuine connections - whether that is online or in the real world. 


~ Steve