AM I TOO OLD TO WORK IN SOCIAL?
Regular readers will know that I’m a big fan of Rachel Karten’s “Link In Bio” substack. Not only is it a great way of finding out about cool campaigns and trends, but it also contains some really useful insights from someone who does the same thing as I do, day-in, day-out. On Tuesday, she wrote a really interesting newsletter wondering if - at the age of 33 - she was now too old to work in social media.
At 41, I’m a fair bit older than Rachel, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t something I think about a lot. Do I still want to be writing for Gen Z when I’m collecting my pension? I’m already too online as it is and the thought of still following TikTok trends once Saga holiday catalogues start coming through my letterbox fills me with a sense of dread.
I’ve been working in social media now for over ten years, which does make me something of a veteran. But, as I’ve mentioned before, I came to it quite late. I didn’t get my first ‘proper’ social media job until I was 30, by which time I’d already been a journalist and a web editor for a performing arts university. I like to believe that my age and life experience provided me with a sense of maturity and knowledge when it comes to my career. But I see some trends appear now and find myself thinking I’d rather jump into the Mersey than try to recreate them for a client.
I’ve always prided myself on being a bit of a chameleon when it comes to tone of voice. Over the years, I have pretended to be everyone from the exhausted mum of a newborn (I don’t have kids), to a teenage boy (I’m a middle-aged woman) to Kevin the Carrot (I’m not a carrot). I’d like to think that I’ve pulled this off relatively well. I’ve done the research beforehand, I’ve gotten to know my audience and I’ve understood the purpose of the messaging we’re trying to get across (which mostly boils down to ‘buy our product, please’.) But I would be lying if I said I’ll be able to authentically convey a Gen Z tone of voice for much longer. I mean, after a while it just gets sad. You feel yourself morphing into the 30 Rock ‘How Do You Do Fellow Kids’ meme. Baseball caps make my hair go weird and the only time I ever tried to skateboard, I almost got pulverised by an Aldi delivery truck.
But if I can’t keep creating content for the youth, then what? Well, assuming that social media is only for the young is a very sheltered way of thinking. There are a variety of age groups using all the channels out there - yes, even TikTok - and as marketers, we should be thinking about how to speak to them in their language. Our industry is notoriously ageist all the way down and, while it is improving (albeit very slowly), we have to get out of the mindset that our key consumer is a twenty-something who is never off their phone. I want to believe that I’ll be able to work on campaigns targeted towards people like me, so I can bring my knowledge and expertise to the table, rather than creating something cringe.
I also want to believe I can be a good mentor to others. I can joke that I remember social media when it was all fields and MySpace Top 8s, but I have seen it go through a lot of changes in the past few years and managed to weather (almost) all of them. I’m now in my seventh year of freelancing, and I’m incredibly proud that I’ve managed to create a career for myself on my terms as a neurodiverse person. I think I always would have gravitated towards freelancing anyway, but I feel a huge sense of pride that it’s allowed me to build a life for myself I could never have dreamed of in my 20s when I was skint and working at a crappy trade magazine.
One of the things about getting older is that switch when you realise you’re no longer the youngest person in the room, but the oldest. It’s even weirder when you work with people and realise that you’re old enough to be their parent. As this geriatric millennial heads further into their forties, I hope I can provide inspiration and insights to my younger peers, rather than being that embarrassing “Cool Mom” gatecrashing the party.
If you like Social Lives, it would be great if you could pass it onto someone and encourage them to subscribe! If you *really* like my work, you can also buy me a coffee. For the price of just one Cappuccino, you can help this freelancer continue to be caffeinated!
JOBS BOARD
Contract: Urban Outfitters are hiring a Social Media Coordinator on a 12 month FTC
Freelance: Sumo have a role available for a freelance Social Media and Influencer Lead
Freelance: Sphere Recruitment have posted a call-out for freelance Social Media Managers to join their talent pool. I’ve worked with Sphere recently and can confirm they are Good Eggs!
Full Time: TikTok have a role available for a Social Editor
Perm/Part-Time: Iceland (the supermarket, not the country) are looking for Social Media Advisors. Doing social media for Aldi was one of the strangest - and most fun - periods of my career, so if nothing else, at least you’ll get a few good stories out of this job to tell at parties.
INTERESTING THING OF THE WEEK: TIKTOK VS UNIVERSAL MUSIC
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If you’ve been on TikTok recently, you may have noticed that it’s a bit quieter than usual. Earlier this month, Universal Music Group (UMG) pulled their catalog from TikTok, meaning that videos that once were soundtracked to artists like Taylor Swift and Drake became silent. And now, not even the artists themselves can share their music there.
What does this mean for TikTok's reputation as a breeding ground for new music and the emerging artists who have become reliant on it as a marketing tool? Two of the best perspectives I've found on the issue come from The Town podcast which looks at it from the industry perspective and the Garbage Day Substack which examines it from the standpoint of the end user and the social media marketer. It's definitely a complex issue and one which could have a wider impact upon how social platforms utilise music moving forwards. One thing seems certain though - the issue won't be fixed in a hurry.
IN THE NEWS
Meta and TikTok have filed lawsuits before the European Union’s General Court to challenge a ‘supervisory fee’, which will be collected from 22 tech giants in order to monitor if platforms are complying with the EU’s Digital Services Act (Politico)
Twitter alternative BlueSky has ended invite-only memberships. It’s currently getting 8.5 new sign ups per second (Forbes)
Threads is testing a new option to save posts (Social Media Today)
YouTube has also unveiled a host of updates to protect younger users, including in-stream ‘Take a Break’ prompts (YouTube)
X has a nudity problem (The Verge)
THINGS I LIKE
Wake up babe, a new Patrick Radden Keefe piece on shady goings-on in London has dropped (The New Yorker)
The Search Engine podcast has a fantastic interview with Molly Ringwald(!!) on dealing with fame at a young age (Search Engine)
How young writers are responding to the UK housing crisis (The Guardian)
Why is the hospitality industry so obsessed with blue tissue paper? (Vittles)
It’s Chinese New Year this weekend, so join me in making a gigantic batch of Mapo Tofu, true comfort food whatever the season (The Woks of Life)
A GOOD TIKTOK
Say it with toads this Valentine’s Day ❤️
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