As you will have no doubt experienced online, there are many communities which have been set up, usually surrounding a certain hobby or passion. Personally one of my very favorite communities is the running community, especially on Instagram. It was through following some of the big hitters on Instagram like Roger Wolfson, that got me into running in the first place, and so I am of course keen to try and post as much as I can with regards to my running exploits, in order to inspire others.
A big issue which we are seeing on social media when it comes to these areas of passion, is that there are these self-proclaimed gatekeepers, who try to say what is right and wrong with how you go about following your passion.
What to Look For
When we talk about these accounts we are discussing the way in which they will present themselves online, often passing judgment about others. For example let’s take record collecting, you get some who suggest that they are superior because of their equipment, the originality and the condition of their records or their origin. the reality is that vinyl lovers do so for the music, and if they can spin a vinyl then they should be happy. Nobody should be made to feel bad because they haven’t invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment, and the same goes for any other hobby which you may have.
Whatever You Like
When it comes to running, or record collecting or cooking, whatever your passion may be, it is critical that you have a clear understanding that this is about you, and you only. Nobody gets to tell you the rules on how you should share your passion on social media, especially when it is after all, your passion. The key to social media, and something which many fail to recognize, is that this is about sharing your life, and then if people like it great, if not, no problems.
Don’t Reach
The reason why so many are able to elevate themselves to this false level of being gatekeepers is that they have a good, solid following, and they understand that people need their sponsorship to get that little bit bigger. Unfortunately however when you reach out to these people, you are only feeding the problem. The best course of action here is to just try and organically grow your profile, work with those who are doing well and rise up together. If there are big, popular accounts which are trying to set the rules for the rest, avoid them at all costs.
Ultimately this is about being yourself, it is about following your passion and then if people want to share that with you then fantastic, if they don’t then you have lost nothing. The key is to avoid those who suggest that there should be some set rules to this, there most definitely is not any rulebook for sharing your passion.
To read more on topics like this, check out the Marketing category
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