The Bitter Pill of Social Media Envy: Finding Deeper Connection with Followers

In the age of social media, where virtual interactions have become a dominant force in our lives, it's no secret that envy can rear its ugly head. Scrolling through Instagram feeds filled with perfectly curated posts of friends' exotic travels, picture-perfect families, and seemingly flawless lives can leave us feeling inadequate and envious. We compare our behind-the-scenes reality to others' highlight reels, leading to a phenomenon known as social media envy.

As an artist navigating this space, I've experienced social media envy firsthand. Despite having a growing following and engagement on my platforms (thanks to you wonderful people who have taken the jump and pressed the follow button!), lately I've found myself struggling with feelings of inadequacy and envy when I see other creators' seemingly perfect lives and successes. I wonder why my content doesn't receive as many likes or comments, and why I didn't have the picture-perfect life that others portrayed online. I felt disconnected from my followers, as if I was just shouting into the ether without truly connecting with them.

But as I delved deeper into my emotions, I realised that social media envy was just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the surface, there was a yearning for deeper connection with my followers to alleviate this sense of loneliness in the virtual world.

As an artist who is keen to share my music with people who I know will enjoy it and find something meaningful in it, it's natural to strive to gain more followers, likes, and comments, as they are perceived as markers of success (it shouldn't be, but is nonetheless). But in the pursuit of popularity, it’s easy to lose sight of the true essence of social media: human connection. It's easy to get caught up in the numbers game, constantly seeking external validation, and feeling disappointed when the numbers don't meet expectations. So know this, I don’t ever want you to feel as though you are a mere statistic; to me you are more than that. To me, you are a valued member of this community who has emotions, thoughts, and stories to share and who finds a bit of themselves in what I create. Instead of chasing numbers, I want to focus on building up this community of genuine connections with you. I am a private person so feel really weird about sharing more of my personal stories, struggles, and vulnerabilities online but rather channel them into my songs, but always open to sharing what the songs are about if that's what you find interesting? I will always respond to comments and messages with sincerity and gratitude and will happily engage in conversations and discussions with you, truly listening to your thoughts and experiences.

So basically, in a really round-about way I'm pretty chuffed with this wee circle of pals and I can't wait to see how it grows. Sometimes I feel the pressure to chase the numbers but you know what, they mean nothing without the human behind them.

Cx