Validation
It feels good to have your thoughts and conclusions affirmed by someone who is more knowledgeable on a topic than you are. I had this experience while viewing a recent keynote address at the 2024 SXSW Conference (published to YouTube March 16, 2024). Among the many speakers, Jack Conte, co-founder and CEO of Patreon, was the one that appeared in my recommended list and caught my attention with the title, “Death of the Follower & the Future of Creativity on the Web.”
Aren’t followers what we want? You bet! These clustered communities become our audience that, for many, keeps food on their table. So, if someone is out to kill the follower, a cease and desist notice seems apropos. However, for you and me, there may not be a way to stop this from happening.
While this rather large problem (and sticking with the theme) is neither my circus nor monkeys, we’ll be taking a look at the underlying causes of this beastly issue and a problem I see in general that could horribly degrade our profession and us.
Right To The Point
I’m struggling to choose a way to say this with less sting, so I’m just going to say it.
They’re making us look stupid.
By “they,” I mean the social media industrial complex that has just about everyone who wants to utilize it on a leash… by the 8@11$... I’m struggling to get the words right, so feel free to choose your own descriptives or expletives to express your frustration(s).
At 17:31 in Conte’s address, he begins to talk about a shift that was happening and what we refer to now as simply THE ALGORITHM. The algorithm has become our master and we its lowly slaves. Those of us utilizing social media to grow an audience and/or communicate with them whatever message we are wanting them to hear/see are at the mercy of their approval to hopefully be presented to our audience.
You can find Conte's talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zUndMfMInc&t=2268s (Sorry, couldn't get the link to work)
So, in case you didn’t know, here’s the basics of how it works. In the early to mid 2010s Facebook introduced the idea of ranking. If more people spent time on a post or video, those got bumped higher in the list, meaning those less interesting to those perusing Facebook got moved down and likely were not seen at all by some, even those most eager to actually see your stuff. How rude.
The goal was, and still is in general, about time spent on their platform — and it is helpful to remember that it is THEIR platform. Their house, their rules. Why time spent? Because the longer you spend scrolling, the more they can show people an ad. They get paid just to put it in front of you whether you pause, click, or flick past. This is the magical metric known as impressions.
This was a brilliant business decision for Facebook. Can you imagine getting paid every time someone drove by your practice location? Subsequently, every platform followed, and it destroyed the concept of a follower, the very people we most want to connect with and eroded our ability to be able to build and maintain a community.
Then came TikTok who changed the game even more. Their goal? Make the most engaging feed possible. Their “For You" concept all but obliterated the idea of a follower or subscriber by choosing for you what they think you’ll most want to see.
It has most of us scanning our feeds, or googling the latest trends, then creating similar content. Some have done the Cha Cha Slide, swapped clothes, or a variety of challenges and trends. They (TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook primarily) are grinding the organ while we, like monkeys, dance.
I am absolutely about fun, and sometimes frolicking, but only as it aligns with the mission. And, please understand, this is not a school marm harumph. Rather, it’s a gentle reminder that while trends can be enjoyable, engaging, and even useful, staying true to our core purpose and values will ultimately foster a more meaningful and lasting connection with our audience and be more attractive to prospective practice members — even if we don't go viral.
Why Use Social Media?
Now, for us as chiropractors, what even is the purpose of being on social media?
Fundamentally, I boil it down to just two principles:
- Nurture the New - present ourselves to prospective practice members
- Develop the Devoted - shift or align the consciousness of our community to a Chiropractic one
Our collective goal, then, is to build brand, which is our core identity, our purpose and values, our presentation of everything that we are and why we exist poured out for all to see. Simultaneously, it is about engaging with our community, our family by providing valuable, life transforming ideas that move humanity forward which flow from our brand.
In the coming weeks we’ll break down some of the most vital aspects of how to do this from some of the most effective players in the arena. Topics like building brand, delivering value through education, engaging with your community in meaningful ways, showcasing your practice and services… and so on.
Until then, stay true to you and our profession.