Noise
I may have lost my hearing – and it wasn’t from sitting in the front row of a concert. It’s from the obnoxious noise on LinkedIn and social media.
It’s so loud, my desire to be a part of the volume is at an all-time low. Unfortunately, silence comes at a cost.
Option 1: Earmuffs on, push ahead. Continue to work on developing meaningful and intelligent content with the hopes that it cuts through the racket.
Option 2: Sit still, look pretty.
The siren song of option 2 is wildly alluring. For several months, I’ve taken it. Who can argue with a zero cost of entry. No time, no effort, no friction, no problem. The rewards? My sanity and a little extra time in the day, which has been greatly needed.
But what about the hidden costs? No visibility, no traction on a larger mission, and another muted voice on topics that need another advocate. The missing rewards? The absence of pride in putting positive messaging into the world and the thought that one more missing voice continues to silence those that need to surge ahead, not retreat.
There’s always some friction with opinions and the investment to “create” however you choose to do so, but the rewards of action vastly outweigh the benefits of doing nothing.
In the last several months, our household stress peaked. Option 2 kicked in. It began as a matter of convenience and need for reprieve. It continued as a quiet protest that grew to disgust with a combination of concerns. Maybe I shouldn’t be part of the noise?
For every valid reason to stop being part of the media machine, I may have two to continue. Sit still and look pretty, or the Southern version of sit down and shut up/get me a coffee, just isn’t in my DNA. But what is all this garbage content just for content’s sake? My feed is flooooooded. Am I contributing to the noise?
X/InstaFace/LinkedIn/Insert social media name here “famous” is such a nauseating topic. The title “influencer” is stupidly double edged. How can watching someone else unboxing gifts make you a famous Influencer? Who and what are you Influencing?
I follow individuals on LI that influence the way I think, how I approach problems, or maybe the positive attitude they show for the world around them. I find their posts genuine and focused on real issues or topics I find interesting.
I’m looking to broaden, not limit.
I seek to learn, not stand still.
But those voices are increasingly rare to come by and it’s hard to find them around so much noise.
My writing will always have a personal twist, because I absolutely find leadership and business lessons in my everyday life. We all exist outside of our careers and to ignore that fact means we don’t allow our skills as a compassionate leader to grow. Enabling the human element to shape our approach doesn’t mean we’re poised to be taken advantage of. To the contrary, it means we can discern between fact and fiction when it comes to excuses and failure.
It also means when I see some content, I see through the mask of inauthentic trash you spew to increase your following to chase a number. I’ll let someone else enjoy you unboxing your “gift.”
As I return to embracing writing and the process of creating meaningful and relatable content, I hope I can cut through the noise of the absurd and fly over the trash with all talk and no action. I have no desire to be part of the machine, but rather to change the way you approach the complex, interesting, or even the mundane scenario every single day.
“They aren’t all winners.” – A quote I still chuckle at and won’t attribute to its owner (stated related to content development.) But I’ll respectfully submit my counter point. If you don’t believe it is, why should I waste my time reading it?
I certainly won’t waste my time writing it.