Social Lives | Don't Call It a Comeback
Didn't you used to write a newsletter about social media?
Hi, I’m Christina McMc. You may remember me from the internet and weekly newsletters like the one I’m writing now, about social media. You’re probably wondering why I decided to go dark for six months and the simple reason is that, workwise, 2023 sucked.
Last year was not great for me professionally. I felt as though I was in my ‘flop era’, where I couldn’t do right for doing wrong. Projects that started off positively would veer wildly off course - sometimes because the client had done something wrong, or the budget that was there initially disappeared, or we weren’t the right fit. It’s really disheartening to have project after project end suddenly. There were a few months where I seriously considered a different career and wondered if my future lay in UX writing (I don’t think it does, but it’s always good to have another skill in your arsenal).
I didn’t do my due diligence. I took on projects that I knew wouldn’t work out because I needed the money. 2023 was a bad year for freelancers and I often found myself taking on anything and everything so I could pay myself a salary. If I’d been more thoughtful, perhaps things would have been different. Or perhaps they wouldn’t. I went back through my 2022 diary a few days ago and saw that I’d written “take on better paid work from fewer, bigger clients” as a resolution for the year ahead. Maybe 2024 will be the year where I finally take my own advice.
Plus, writing this newsletter burned me out. Social Lives turned from something I loved to a hell of my own making. The thought of putting this together during a busy week - when all I wanted to do was kick back and watch Real Housewives - made my stomach curdle with dread. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say and I wasn’t even sure if I was the person qualified to say it. I spent most of 2022 trying to sell my book about social media, and no one wanted it. My own career wasn’t exactly looking stellar so why should anyone listen to me?
This culminated in a terrible work trip to Sheffield last June where I had a giant panic attack in my hotel room. I knew I had to go back to Liverpool immediately because I was positive that if I stayed where I was, I was going to die. I’ve had a few mental health crises in my life, but this one really scared me. I was supposed to be helping out with the launch of the documentary Your Fat Friend (which you should all watch btw) at Sheffield Doc Fest and instead just ran away with no warning. They only knew I’d gone when they called me and I was whizzing through Manchester Oxford Road on the train. I’m not proud that I ran away. I’m ashamed that I let a client - a client I really value - down. But it was also a wake-up call. Something had to give. And that thing was Social Lives.
I’ve missed writing this newsletter. I’ve missed throwing my thoughts out into the world and seeing what stuck. I’ve missed really thinking about social media - how it works, the impact it has on our lives, what its future looks like - instead of just doing it all day. In the six months I’ve been away, a lot has changed in social. Like the artist formerly known as Prince, we now have the X formerly known as Twitter. Threads has spawned a whole new era of the worst takes known to humankind. My husband adores BlueSky. And people are using LinkedIn much in the same way as they used to use Twitter - for better or for worse.
I’ve had a few people ask me when I was going to be writing Social Lives again (including my powerlifting coach, who asked me recently, didn’t you used to write a newsletter about social media?) So, after seeing more than one awful piece of advice given out by a social media ‘expert’, I felt it was time to stage a comeback.
Things will probably change around here. I’m going to get rid of some bits and add some new ones. I may even rope in some friends to help me out every now and then. But I want to make 2024 the year of Social Lives, even if it leads to me having another nervous breakdown in a Yorkshire hotel (jk). Tell your friends, your lovers, your sisters and your mothers: I’m back.
JOBS BOARD
Contractor: McCann Manchester are looking for a Social Media Account Manager (12 month FTC)
Contractor: Collective need a Paid Social Media Executive to work with them for four weeks
Freelance: Uber are recruiting a freelance Social Media Manager, although this job description sounds more community management focused.
Full Time: If you love Newcastle United and going taps aff in 0 degree weather, you should apply to be their Head of Social
Full Time: Alternatively, if you’re more of a musicals kind of person, Situation UK (who do the marketing for a number of major West End shows) are recruiting a Social Media Manager
INTERESTING THING OF THE WEEK: SEAN’S CULTURAL MOMENTS CALENDAR
I spotted this 2024 cultural moments calendar via the excellent Link in Bio newsletter. It’s one of the most comprehensive examples of these I’ve ever seen, encompassing numerous events/notable days globally. Review it, import it into your calendars and share the wealth. Your content calendars will thank you!
IN THE NEWS
The social media platform formerly known as Twitter brought headline previews back…only to get rid of them again (TechCrunch)
Some clever soul has also created a website showing which users’s posts there have earned the most Community Notes
Meta has confirmed that Facebook’s link history option is coming to all users (Social Media Today)
You can no longer pretend to be naked on Twitch (The Verge)
TikTok has released a 2024 content planning guide to help brands make the most of calendar events and create winning campaign strategies (TikTok)
THINGS I LIKE
I would lay down my life for the New York Times’s Games app (Vanity Fair)
I am very excited to read all of these books over the next twelve months (I-D)
Speaking of which…here’s everything I read in 2023, along with a list of my faves (Instagram)
A list of all the bizarre things people inserted into various body orifices last year (Defector)
My weekend plans involve making this Smoked Paprika Pasta Bake (Anna Jones)
I was very ill over Christmas with a kidney stone. One of the few things which took my mind off the pain were these episodes of Behind the Bastards on the short but incredible life of Aaron Swartz (CoolZone Media)
A GOOD TIKTOK
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