Fighting For the Mic

I went through four or five other titles before picking that average grouping of words. It's this inane part of me that has been programmed to write catchy, clickbait titles, because that's all we ever see today. 

These are randomized, unorganized, thoughtless thoughts about the world we live in. No structure, no footnotes, some links, and plenty to think about. Read what you'd like.

Every caption I read has a few BOLD or capitalized words to CAPTIVATE readers, even if those words feel like the WORST ones to capitalize. All for the point of KEEPING YOU ON THE PAGE, AM I SHOUTING LOUD ENOUGH? 

In the past five years, we have found so many microphones lying on the side of the street. We pick them up. We tap on the top, blow into it a few times. 

People gather. 

We crack a joke. We share a secret. 

We hand out microphones to everyone nearby, and soon enough, everyone is talking. 

Posting. Engaging. Analyzing. Breaking records. Gaining clicks. Increasing followers. Attracting advertisers. 

It's almost funny. (It's also funny how I learned to space my sentences out like this so that people could breathe a little bit as they read these passages. Very few can read a full paragraph anymore)

Today, only brands like MoonPie or Wendy's can give me hope of a "no-rules" type of social media. But those same brands also make me question the very frame of social media—the years I spent studying Communications, online writing, and more. 

Maybe I learn more in one year by simply consuming media than I learned in three studying it. 

We are fighting for the same microphone. And some of those jokes and secrets are beautiful. Friendships form and important ideas are discussed (passive voice, we can write however we want these days HA)

I'm buying into it too, right now, if you've gotten this far reading. I'm giving my input, unsolicited, on a topic we talk about too much. I'm hurling my words out into the Internet, hoping someone feels this way too. I hashtag, I tweet, I want people to like me.

Maybe that's it. We want to be liked. 

And "liked," in business terms, translates to growth, engagement, numbers, sales. 

So here's my question: Is anyone tired of fighting for the microphone? (those big brands argue that those who feel tired of fighting for the microphone will be weeded out and lose customers)

The human attention span used to be comparable to a goldfish. But now, by 2021, "studies" predict that 80% of our consumption will be through videos. So now we have to create, edit, and produce video content. We have to have a "following" everywhere. Or we become irrelevant. 

Could all of this stem from a fear of being unliked and irrelevant? 

I wake up, turn over, and check my phone. I use the flashlight feature to see at night. I connect with family members daily. I watch people find new jobs, buy new homes, and have new children. I wonder if this will one day be incredibly hilarious, our eyes and hands attached to our devices. 

Bloggers defend their jobs, and I respect them, sometimes envy them.

Companies beg for "superstars" in social media, dreaming of a Facebook page with a million likes. 

Everyone wants to be heard. And we're running out of microphones. (or holding too many at once)