Social Lives 134 | Compare and Contrast
Comparison is the thief of joy
While I'll never charge for 'Social Lives,' it does take half a day to put together each week. I realise that times are super tight for everyone right now, but if you enjoy reading this newsletter and can spare the cost of a pint it would be appreciated. If you can't do that, please forward this on to your friends, your lovers, your enemies and your mothers.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
If you follow me on any social media, you’ll probably know that I’m a powerlifter. And if you’ll allow me to toot my own horn for a moment, you’ll also know that I’m a British Silver Medallist for Bench. Not that I like to go on about it or anything but I’ve been powerlifting for four years. I love it because it allows me to switch off from work for an hour or so. When I’m in the gym I’m not Christina the social media person, I’m Christina who can deadlift 120kg without breaking sweat. It’s a space where I am both my best and my worst self.
I mention powerlifting because earlier this week, my coach said something I found interesting. I was beating myself up for being unable to deadlift a weight I’d lifted numerous times before. I stood there sulking, moaning that other people can do this easily, so why can’t I? To which, he said “you need to stop focusing on other people and focus more on yourself”.
You’re often told that when you’re on the platform, you’re the only person that matters. Don’t become obsessed with the numbers everyone around you is getting, just concentrate on being better than the last time you picked up the bar. It’s taken me - a naturally competitive person - a long time to wrap my head around this and I’m still not quite there yet. On my best days, I know that I’m a shit-hot powerlifter who can hold their own with the best of them. On my worst, I look at the weights other (lighter, younger, less experienced) powerlifters are pulling and beat myself up for not being able to match them.
For a long time I felt like this about my career. When I was a Community Manager, I’d feel annoyed about not being a Senior Community Manager. When I saw my peers managing teams, I wondered why I wasn’t managing a team. When people inevitably moved on to bigger, better things, I’d spend sleepless nights kicking myself for not doing the same. Looking back now, it feels so pointless. They were on their own paths and I was on mine. While I’d like to say that I’m no longer that person, it would be a lie.
Freelancing gives you a lot of opportunity for self reflection. I believe that you’re only as good as your last assignment, and there are frequent times when that last assignment didn’t end well. It’s so easy to look at what others are doing, see their numerous successes and wonder why you’re not doing the same. Yet, when we focus on what other people are doing, we blind ourselves to our own little wins. You may not be working for that global brand yet, but how do you know you’d like to? For all you know, their poor social media manager could be regretting every life choice they’d ever made that led them there. Quite honestly, if you’ve got enough work coming in to pay the bills and buy yourself the occasional treat - and you get to clock off at a reasonable time each day - I’d say you’re doing pretty well.
There’s a saying that comparison is the thief of joy, and it’s true. I often regret how much time I’ve spent throughout my life comparing myself to others and the misery it’s caused me. In my 20s, I tried to emulate so many other people’s lives that I often forgot to appreciate my own. I thought I would be happier if I could become someone else, but ended up losing sight of who I was and what I wanted as a result. It was only when I stopped doing this that I saw what I was capable of and the life I could have if I stopped trying to emulate other people’s talents and focused on my own.
Perhaps feeling comfortable in your own skin is something that comes through age. Perhaps it comes through experience. And while it’s easier said than done, the moment you stop spending so much time comparing your freelance career to other people’s, the happier you will be.
JOBS BOARD
Freelance: The LEGO Group are currently recruiting an experienced Global Social Media Editorial Planner. You’ll need experience of working with major clients, planning campaigns and juggling 1001 different priorities at once. If you’re interested, send your CV, day rate and availability to globalsocial@internal.lego.com with the subject 'Freelancer application.'
Freelance: Hire Digital are seeking a freelance, remote Social Media Manager to work with them on a personal care brand.
Freelance: Jelli Group are looking for an experienced freelance Community Manager who has previously worked with an FMCG business to work with a Health and Beauty brand.
Full Time: Beavertown Brewery have a role available for a Social Media Executive.
Part Time: Sproutl are hunting for a part-time Videographer and Social Media Content Creator to help them create the very best gardening content for a new generation of gardeners.
INTERESTING THING OF THE WEEK: HOW TO COPY AND PASTE INFO FROM AN IMAGE
I’ll admit that I should be better at including ALT text in images. In fact, we all should be. Social media should be accessible to everyone, and we’re failing people with disabilities when we forget to do this, especially now Twitter’s made the process easier. ALT text should also include copy from images, which can often be hard to grab. PC Mag have put together a useful guide on how to do this in iOS 15, and if you’re not an Apple user, Techsable have got you covered too. Now, we really don’t have any excuse.
IN THE NEWS:
Instagram will allow you to pin posts on your profile (Social Media Today)
TikTok is testing a 'Clear Mode' for a distraction free scrolling experience (TechCrunch)
Twitter’s redesigned process for reporting policy violations on its platform is now widely available (The Verge)
Twitter is set to comply with Elon Musk demand for data on fake accounts (The Guardian)
THINGS I LIKE
Why are we all working so hard? (Financial Times)
The legacy of ‘Gone Girl,’ ten years on (Esquire)
What happens when shipping containers sink in the drink? (The New Yorker)
I’ll admit that I was sceptical when I made this Baked Farro with Summer Vegetables last week, wondering just how good it could be. Turns out, it’s really really good (Smitten Kitchen)
I’m looking forward to wandering around London this weekend listening to this BBC Sounds podcast series on the history of reality TV (BBC Sounds)
CAT OF THE WEEK: PADDINGTON
Don’t tell The Void Boys, but I have been in love with Bethany Rutter’s cat, Paddington, for some time. If you follow her on Twitter, you will have seen many many pictures of this adorable little lion and his gigantic fluffy tail. Paddington is an absolute baby, a chunky king, and an absolute icon. “All he wants to do is play and eat Dreamies,” says Bethany. “He’s a rescue cat but fortunately never had to live on the streets- I think he’s too baby to be a street cat ♥️”
SEND ME YOUR CATS! If you'd like your kitty to be featured in the best (and only) newsletter to feature social media news and cats, email me!
