The New Reality of Social Media - Which Path Will You Choose?

In a recent keynote video from Gary Vaynerchuk he painted a picture of our digital reality that most of us are not prepared to see. For quite some time we have been living in the age of social media, but in the video, Gary points out that platforms are no longer driven to point us towards content from our social spheres, but rather to what interests us in that specific moment in time, shaping the landscape into interest media instead.

Gary accurately points out that the weight behind this comes from the fact that if you start a new TikTok account from scratch, your third video could completely change the course of your life. Someone who has been slaving away for the past 10 years trying to figure out how to make good content has no competitive edge over another who simply makes a 15 second video that just so happens to pique the interest of 20 million people that day.

Social media content experts still flex their muscles, but now more than ever it is more profitable for them to clasp on to the coat tails of whatever individual just went viral in the hopes of milking the buzz. We have seen this hundreds of times already with examples like “damn Daniel”, “cash me outside”, and many more, but a more poignant example would be the “hawk tuah” girl who legitimately built generational wealth from one 15 second social media clip going viral.

Because of the viral video she was picked up by Jake Paul’s media empire, and the milking began with brand deals and cameos until the buzz finally faded. However, she is still creating content with her podcast ‘Talk Tuah’ and leveraging the original rise to fame in building her own media business.

I think this is exactly what Gary was talking about, we now live in a reality where money and fame can come in an instant, but seemingly at random. There is no predictor to success, but as long as you play the game your day may come.

This is backstopped by the current quick money reality of crypto and other tech. We currently live in a reality where a 55 year old slingin’ gravel on a construction site pushes through aches and pains to earn a living while the 20 year old neighbour boy makes retirement money in a month by buying fart coin on pump.fun. You cannot make this stuff up.

I found this reality check so important because it forces you to completely remove your identity from financial success. If your financial status is your main focus in this world, you will not escape depression. More than ever we need to ground ourselves in something real, something anchored to an unchanging truth.

Gary coins this new system as the interest media reality, where each piece of content is no better fit for success than the next, it is simply up to the hive mind that day to decide what is interesting. And when the hive mind has chosen, the dogs are unleashed to fight for their meat. Companies fight a constant battle over the residuals of viral videos in hopes to stake their name on the next catalyst for cultural change on the web.

The true warriors of our time will be the ones that stick to their guns, fight for their passion and carry on building without the “success” of fame and popularity in the digital world. Amassing a fortune from social media is now straight dumb luck, with no rhyme or reason you can be the next hot topic by mispronouncing a word in a live interview, or licking a pole on a public bus.

This has made me think about what I define as success, and what my goals are professionally and for my family. I do not want my kids to grow up chasing financial success, I want them to chase something anchored to an unchanging truth. I want my kids to be unprovoked by their peers striking oil over silly fads, and to be unwavering in their desire to build quality products and services that have real impact. I want financial success to come to them as a by product of dedication, and over time, not all at once.

For me this has meant remembering my identity in Christ, remembering that I am a child of God, and that my identity is not affected by this ever-changing world. This is especially important as like many, I struggle with the internalized pressure of doing better than my dad, taking what he has provided and growing it, being more “successful” and making him and other family members proud. This is a looming pressure my generation carries while dealing with a housing crisis, cost of living crisis, and a you name it crisis.

This pressure can be soul crushing, but if we instead focus our efforts on building something that has real positive impact on people, it changes the “why” for what we do, and lengthens the time horizon for success. Suddenly the pressure to return monetary gains spreads out from immediate to when the time is right down the road. And as proven time and time again, this strategy is a slow burn, but brings in swells at a ripe old age, and I am okay with that.

It is an added benefit that the slow game strategy produces products like a revolutionary massager for people dealing with chronic lock jar, whereas the interest media landscape has you building an AI image generator app that makes an influencers butt bigger in their insta profile pic.

Having a lot of cash before you have accumulated the wisdom to handle it never ends well. On top of this, achieving wealth at a mature age is a badge of honour proving you battled through the ups and downs and can now responsibly pass on guidance to the next generation. In our culture today we seek advice from quick money gurus which results in the blind leading the blind.

I think it is important to put blinders on like a race horse and focus on the impact you have in your community or industry. The appeal of quick money is all around us and it beckons with force. We need to stay strong and remember that the “boring” long game is better for us and everyone we love. I struggle with this on a daily basis and am learning to guard my heart by focusing on the quality of my work, and the impact it has on people. The verse I’ve been mulling on this month has been Galations 6:4-5:

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you will not need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for own conduct.

Galations 6:4-5 NLT

God bless.