This week I took the decision to close my Facebook account. I had been considering it for a bit but what tipped me over the edge was Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to end factchecking in favour of prioritising free speech. I am a great believer in free speech but I believe that this decision opens the flood gates to content which is not so much free speech as harmful rhetoric. The people who, in my opinion, stand to suffer most from this decision are vulnerable groups such as women, LGBT+ people, people of colour. People who already face disproportionate harassment and attacks.
My decision is a tiny drop in a vast ocean. It will make no difference at all. Indeed I am now left feeling rather disingenuous because I have left Facebook but I have retained my presence on Instagram, also part of Meta, so what am I playing at?
There is a difference between the two platforms in terms of their content which I could use to justify my actions but the fact is that artists really need social media.
I am stuck
between a rock
and
a hard place.
Artists are expected to have a social media presence in order to be taken seriously. They use it to discover opportunities for exhibitions, residencies and courses and to keep in touch with their communities. The ultimate irony is that virtually no-one will see this post because most traffic to my blogs is directed from my social media accounts. So I find myself between a rock and a hard place and I actually don’t know what to do about it.
Bridget Macklin 
Ugh. Such a dilemma. I second all your thoughts and have done the same, closed FB and kept Instagram. I don’t post or scroll much anyway. The posting feels unnatural and the scrolling often leads to me wanting to buy something. Most of my sales are generated through word of mouth and the result of my going after it, ie. Proposing to a restaurant that I make them plates. But, I am not trying to make a living from ceramics alone. Thanks for the opportunity to contemplate this. It’s a really useful conversation for artist to have.
I think that you are in a very similar place to me. Its good to feel that I am not alone here. Thanks for your comment.
Drops in the ocean make ripples. They do. But perhaps not widely enough … .
This is so interesting, Bridget, and brave.
Yesterday I read an article – found on Twitter through a person I trust – about how writers don’t need to use social media to publicise their work. I know Instagram is a visual medium and I so get that you need to use it because you’re a visual artist – but this article suggests making YouTube videos, which have a much longer shelf-life than most other social media: it’s the second-largest search engine after Google and you can repurpose clips for your website etc. The article also suggests using / creating a website and asking to be invited on podcasts (I appreciate podcasts aren’t visual)!
Here’s the article, in case you it’s useful: https://amarketingexpert.com/2024/12/31/how-to-market-your-book-without-social-media/ (it’s a website so not Twitter … ). x
PS Happy new year!
Oh this is so interesting, Angela. Thank you so much. I will take a look. This week I am taking part in Lights Out Meta – a week of keeping off all Meta platforms – in an attempt to see how things are without them. I suspect that I shall miss WhatsApp more than the others!