Friends of Dave #118: Don't You, Forget About Me
When you think about it, social media is really just one big high school cafeteria.
Interesting thread this week on LinkedIn started by Friend of Dave Jonathan Brickman. Worth checking out as context if you have a few minutes.
Jonathan lamented that there seems to be an underlying thing with social media where the weight of one's comments is measured by the number of followers you have. Two people may say the exact same thing, but if one has more followers or happens to be anointed as a "thought leader," their comments tend to get more engagement from others.
The idea seems silly, really, but there is truth to it. Social media platforms, while they can be useful, are most often fraught with contrived posts, observations and musings all with one purpose: to get some attention. While we like to think a particular platform hosts "conversations" where there is a meritocracy and people can each step up to an open microphone and share insights and ideas, that is not the case at all. Social media is largely about controlling a narrative, branding, and narcissism.
To that end, it is like high school all over again. And our "networks" are just lunch tables in the cafeteria. Back in the day there were geeks, cool kids, burnouts, theater nerds and jocks. Today it's a Breakfast Club of influencers, thought leaders, verified account holders and people with profile pics that make it look like they are giving a TED talk or did something really important like ring a bell at a stock exchange or speak to Jim Cramer once...
Everyone is desperate for recognition and acceptance from others. In high school, you were lucky if the popular boy or girl gave you a smile in class. Today, it's much easier to get instant gratification in the form of a like, a follow, a retweet, a share or a comment (and much deeper despair when you don't). But, like in high school, there definitely seems to be an unwritten (and often hard to understand) hierarchy to it all.....I mean, 14 million people follow THIS GUY....WTF.
And with all of this, people expend an awful lot of energy to climb the ladder and game the system. How do I post something provocative or edgy that will get the most people to like me? And not just the people in my network. I want to go viral....I want to blow up....and I want to look good/smart/savvy while I am doing it. If I only could get Gary V to comment back to me, my heart would swoon.
Ultimately, it's the people who are able to be authentic and comfortable in their own skin that tend to be the most broadly accepted, regardless of the level of success or exposure they have achieved. They only speak when they have something meaningful to say, they are always respectful of others when they do, they are connectors of good people, and they also tend to be impervious to all of the BS going on around them. I think I value those people the most...and I guess I have come to appreciate that if I have a few Friends like them in my life and my network, I think I am good....
Enjoy your weekend. I hope the Wage Inequality Report from Hired is top of everyone's list this week -- it's an easy and important read. Also worth checking out the video I shared in the The Last Word if you can. Lots of little random bits of wisdom packed in its 2 minutes...and it made me want to go out of my way to grab a slice there sometime soon.
XOXO
Dave
Think on These...
The world is still run by dynasties
Want to get ahead? It helps if you come from the right family.
REPORT: Wage Inequality in the Workplace
Women are asking for 4% less than men, a 2% improvement from 2018 — and the data suggests it’s in part because women are beginning to ask for their market worth.
Friends, this is a quick easy to read summary and a good read for everyone. Women: you will find these insights interesting, helpful and likely validating. Men: please read and take note -- I believe it is incumbent for us to be aware of these findings and take active steps to help correct the inequalities when we can.
A Few For Your Day Job...
The 7 Biggest Pitfalls of Traditional Sales Kickoffs — www.brand.live
Traditional and in-person sales kickoffs are expensive, ineffective, time-consuming, and archaic. Some good insights here on how to correct this for a new generation of sales teams.
Email Newsletters: The New Social Network That Isn't Really New at All
Now, when I feel the urge to tweet an idea that I think is worth expounding on, I save it for my newsletter, The Dump (an accurate description of what spills out of my head). It’s much more fun than mediating political fights between relatives on my Facebook page or decoding the latest Twitter dustup.
If I were to share this on social media, it would likely be accompanied by a post that simply said, "This."
Unlimited paid time off is top emerging benefit
I have worked at a company that has offered unlimited PTO as a benefit, and have been a HUGE proponent for it since. It is a win-win for employees and companies -- employees enjoy the flexibility, and companies enjoy not having to go through the expense of accounting for (and accruing) employee vacation. And the dirty little secret: employees seldom take the full time.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
15 Easily Overlooked Plaques You'll Be Glad You Stopped to Read
Word to the wise: Always read the plaque.
Ancient switch to soft food is what gave us an overbite
Thus putting to rest the common misperception that this evolution was caused by your Dad dancing to "Brick House" at a wedding in the early 80s.......
CVS Will Soon Change Its Hold Music, Thrilling Harvard Psychiatrist Who Begged For It
A psychiatrist calculated that over the course of his career, he's spent 25 days of his life listening to the scratchy piano music. He needed a shrink afterwards.
How did Beethoven cope with going deaf? Ludwig van Beethoven’s deafness is probably the best-known physical ailment of any composer in history.
And The Last Word....
WATCH: Inspiring Words From a New York City Pizza Legend — www.youtube.com
Domenico DeMarco has been making pizzas at Brooklyn’s famous Di Fara Pizza since 1965. The New Yorker asked him to tell us why he sticks to it after all of these years. Short piece and I found it kind of inspiring -- take a few minutes to watch.