Rosa Parks’s mugshot, 1955. Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty
When I was a kid people wanted to be rich. Now they want to be famous. Thanks a lot social media!
Today being famous is a career in and of itself. But what’s it all for? And after getting famous, what comes next?
I recently listened to an audio book about the civil rights leader Rosa Parks called “The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks” by Jeanne Theoharis and there’s a part where the author is describing Mrs. Park’s life after the successful boycott of the Montgomery bus transportation system in 1955 and 1956.
Despite her notoriety, becoming a household name, and being credited as “the mother of civil rights movement, Mrs. Parks lived the rest of her life in economic instability due to her role in the movement.
In the years following the boycott, Mrs. Parks was fired from her job and found it nearly impossible to find adequate employment again because of the attention that followed her– both good and bad. Despite the victory of the boycott and the subsequent changes to our laws and country, her husband was forced to quit his job as a barber because his employer didn’t want him talking about the boycott or his wife.
At one point when describing Mrs. Park’s dire financial situation, the author said,
“… fame did not equal security”
I was shocked to learn that Mrs. Parks spent the rest of her life financially destitute despite being smart, hard working, intelligent, so important to the Civil Rights movement, and of course being so FAMOUS.
Today there seems to be such an emphasis on being famous, having followers, and getting “likes” that we can easily get distracted from what really matters.
Being famous is just, well, being famous.
Somehow the companies behind the biggest social media apps have managed to convince us that it’s all about getting attention. We’ve been tricked into believing more attention is better.
If you’re in business I get it. It’s called marketing and you want to be seen, but the problem with this idea is believing that being seen solves all of your business problems. If you have a great offer and an awesome product that’s great.
But if you don’t have anything of value being seen is a terrible idea because those people aren’t coming back. However, that’s not my biggest concern.
The problem with making social media popularity your #1 thing:
1. The problem is that we’re focusing on being seen at the expense of actually building a portfolio of real work. Social media is not where you can build a portfolio of your work.
Why?
Because you don’t own that real estate. It belong to those companies and they can shut you down whenever they want.
2. Focusing on social media can distract you from the constant improvement of a special craft. I heard a radio interview recently and the hosts explained that one of the reasons we are seeing more British actors in American movies and TV shows is because they focus on their craft in contrast to American actors who are spending more time building their social media following.
3. Focusing on social media distracts us from doing stuff that really matters for the financial benefit of another company. When you’re old and reflecting on your life I doubt that you’re doing say, “I wish I posted more on Facebook.”
I’m not against social media, but I am against not thinking and anything that distracts us from what really matters. I heard someone say recently,
“If something is free you are the product.”
How about if instead of being famous the goal is being effective at stuff that really matters? Would that make things better?
I heard Pastor TD Jakes say recently in one of the best interviews I have ever heard in my life,
“I don’t want to be famous. I want to be effective.”
Isn’t that a better approach for life and business?
Imagine what would happen to society if the value and affirmation we received came from being effective at things that truly matter.
Previously, I was trying to use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other stuff for my business. The goal was to get noticed. That’s what most of the gurus teach except for people like Sam Ovens and Carl Newport.
Now I want to treat my side-hustle (vocation) and my life more like a craft. I want to get better at it gradually instead of trying to get noticed first.
I know I probably sound like the old guy yelling,
“GET OFF MY LAWN!”
But I feel like we’re not asking ourselves “why” when we so easily accept new technology. We have this idea that:
New technology + Social sharing = Good
But is it always true and how much is enough?
I was observing the instagram posts from a college-aged female family member and what I saw online was so different from the person I know in real life. It seems as if online she has a mask, but beneath that mask she’s really crying out for love and attention.
We’re seeking all of this attention online thinking that it will solve our problems, give us security, and in some cases make us rich and famous.
But in most cases being noticed does not give us the security we’re looking for.
So where do we find the balance in all of this?
The big names that I know and follow in business started by providing value and becoming really good (effective) at one thing first. They didn’t start by focusing on getting more “followers.”
So we have to ask ourselves the “Why” question more often.
Why do you do what you do?
Why do you really want a social media following? Is it to increase your impact or just to be famous?
For Mrs. Parks, her fame came due to what her efforts helped accomplish. She did something that had a lasting impact. She wasn’t focused on being famous. She focused on doing the right thing consistently.
She didn’t benefit financially from her achievements, but her efforts positively impacted an entire country.
When you look back at your life do you want to say that you were famous or that you were effective?