As the lines between our online and offline lives blur, we need to be mindful on the personal impacts that this can have.
Personal privacy is one of those aspects of our lives that is getting more and more of a luxury than a prime aspect of our lives. More than ever, the veil is getting thinner than ever between our online presence and offline selves. What we do on social media can greatly impact our personals lives outside of our screens in very profound ways, and we need to be aware of the link between what we do online and our personal lives. We ignore this link at our own peril.
I’ve decided a long time ago that I will never have a YouTube channel. I see what commonly goes on and I really do not like what I see. I see content creators continually sniping at each other, all so they can chase those Google bucks (for those that are unaware, Google will pay content creators based on views of videos, from what I can deduce from how the site is ran). This is only part of the problem. The blame for this sort of environment also lies in the people who watch such content. Videos that can provide valuable content for the viewer are usually neglected in favor of the videos that provide entertainment by starting or continuing drama.
Not everyone has the circumstances that makes video media the best content option.
Considering all of this, the reason for my decision to avoid YouTube is clear. I technically do have a “channel”, my one video is the trailer for my book on Amazon. Would it boost my presence and increase book sales to have a channel? Possibly, but what I sacrifice in not posting my own videos is worth the gains that I have. For one thing, I’m not here to entertain, I’m here to provide insights to help you increase and restore your self-confidence. If I do have a disagreement with someone, let say in a book review that I post on this website, I address the ideas, not the person directly. Also, too many people have an inflated sense of themselves on sites like TikTok and YouTube – they think that many people care about their lives far more than they actually do. As a person who values my privacy, I prefer to keep my personal life separate from the content that I provide on here and on Amazon.
I’m not saying I’ll never get in front of a camera at all. But I value my privacy rather highly, and I’m saying this because I believe that other people are better off maintaining a sense of personal privacy. I have a career that I value highly outside of the content that I provide. Having privacy is important for many reasons, and not everyone is cut out for making money from creating video content that the entire world can see at a moment’s notice. For many people, they are content having traditional careers that provide a regular paycheck. The last thing that they need is some video on some obscure corner of the internet coming back to haunt them. For those that are making a lucrative life using YouTube to increase their businesses, more power to them. But for the average person, having a clear line drawn between their online and offline presence is important.
Finally, a few updates on what I've been up to.
To be quite honest, I have a hard time maintaining my own social media profile related to my content, let alone my own personal social media accounts. I’ll make posts if I can remember to, but it’s a real struggle to remember to post. I’m too busy working at my job, learning how to market present and future books, hiking, social dancing, and other activities to keep up. But I do post things now and then. And with another book on the horizon, I will probably find myself posting on my social media accounts more often.