#oneaday Day 251: You're Not a Marketer

You're not a marketer. You're not an advertiser. You're a person.

Okay, someone like me who runs a Patreon page may well be a bit more of a marketer than your average social media user, but even then, I try to make an effort to talk like a human being.

I mention this because I've seen a few people recently talking about conversations they've had on Twitter, and referring to them as things like "engagement" and "interaction" with their "content". These people aren't really "creating" anything; at most they're posting images they found on Google Image Search with a bit of the obligatory "remember this?" stuff going on. And there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but there's no need to refer to it as "content", nor any need to carefully monitor the "engagement" you've had with your "audience". Sometimes you're just sharing a cool thing with your friends.

This sort of thing always kind of bugs me a bit, as it dehumanises people. Not just those who are actually working on creative projects, but also those who apparently want to look like they're working on creative projects. I don't go on social media because I want to "engage" and "interact", I do so because I want to chat with people, maybe ask some questions. I don't "create content", I write stuff.

I think all this is an extension of my massive distaste for business-speak that I've previously spoken about on these very pages. Business-speak is a mess of weasel words intended to hide the fact that no-one is actually saying anything of any substance whatsoever, and there's really no need for that sort of thing to cross into people's private life and hobbies.

In your private life and hobbies, it pays to be open and honest about the things you enjoy and want to share with friends and family, and to be able to speak about them with genuine enthusiasm. The second you start using overly formal words to describe simple concepts, you're putting up walls, attempting to elevate yourself above everyone else and, in the process, making yourself look extremely insincere.

So stop fuckin' talking like a suit-wearing bellend and just be, like, a person, k? Or, err, something. Big mood. mfw. lol. And other things the kids say.

</grump>

I'm going to bed!