Hello and Happy FaffCon Week! That’s right, folks. It’s that time of year when I fly off (or sometimes drive off, but not this time) and spend a week with some of my amazing voiceover friends and revel in teaching, learning, cavorting, and then recovering from said cavorting. It’s the most important thing I do to improve myself as both a voice talent and a person. As always, I’ll file a full report when I return!
One way I stay in touch with my fellow Faffers is through that social enigma, fosterer of political revolutions, and world champion time-suck, Facebook.
Right now I’m feeling pretty ambivalent about Facebook. It’s a part of my daily life. I’m grateful for the connections I’ve made with clients & colleagues as well the ability to stay in touch with family & friends. While most people use Facebook as a toy and some use it as a tool, a select few wield it as a weapon. Some use it to advance their political or religious agenda. Others use it to prey upon the unsuspecting. There are those in my profession who like to stir the pot on the glut of voiceover Facebook Groups out there (that’s why you almost never see me participate in those discussions). And there are some who use it just to spew hot molten crazy all over everyone for no good reason. Honestly, sometimes I think the reason why there are advances in technology is just so people can find new ways to be horrible to each other! Oh, and by the way: posting duck-faced selfies while playing CandyCrush and rattling off your voiceover conquests does NOT qualify as having a social media presence as a voice talent.
Witnessing some recent events made me sit down and think about how to use (or not use) Facebook “properly”, whatever that means. It also made me think about the psychology of friending, “relationships” on Facebook, and un-friending. BTW in doing my research, I found some interesting articles about the psychology of Facebook. You can read them here, here, and here.
Here are some things I’ve learned. Facebook, like any other medium, makes nice people look nicer, dumb people dumber, mean people meaner, and crazy people crazier. Think about how you use Facebook, or any other social media platform, for that matter. Do you spend an incessant amount of time playing games or blankly scrolling down your News Feed? Do you hide behind it so you don’t have to truly interact with the world? Do you spend most of your time bragging about your accomplishments and less time building & strengthening relationships? Do you use it take potshots at people because you’re not brave enough to confront them in person?
TIP OF THE WEEK: Moderation, moderation, moderation! Don’t have Facebook open all day. Don’t check it every five minutes. Not is it only a distraction, it’s an act of narcissism. “Ooh, who Liked my post? Who’s going to my party? Who commented on my pics?” Get over yourself!
If you’re using Facebook as a tool to advance your voicevoer career, just remember what your mother told you. Mind your manners, don’t be a nudge, and if someone is being mean to you, just don’t be friends with them anymore. Simple, right?
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Rule of the Great: When people you greatly admire appear to be thinking deep thoughts, they probably are thinking about lunch. Anonymous
STUFF!: As a result of this exploration, I have decided to pare down my number of Facebook friends. It won’t be many, just maybe a dozen or so. Why? There are some people I am Facebook friends with that I just don’t want in my life anymore. Some are people from my past that I have no connection with. Others are those I have had negative interactions with outside of Facebook and every time I see them online it just pisses me off. Why have unnecessary angst? Life is fun and Facebook should be, too!
From Tom Dheere’s apartment, this is Tom Dheere: GKN News…