The Lady Doth Protest Too Much, Me Thinks
When you’re running for office, you need to have a social media presence. But, you want to be careful about the kind of presence you have. Now, don’t get me wrong; there is much to love about social media: I like to make people laugh with my status updates, post clever memes, share pictures, and stalk my friends’ lives. However, wanting to be on social media and feeling like I need to be on social media are two very different feelings that can sometimes cause conflict.
Because I know that some people are “following” me now through various social media outlets, I always have this nagging feeling that I should be posting something. At first, I tried to stick to posting articles/memes/updates that center on issues relevant to the office for which I’m running (school board): education funding, Pennsylvania politics (in general), education reform, achievement gaps, basic needs for students, etc. However, lately, I have gone down the rabbit hole, and it seems that the old Monica is back with a vengeance, and it’s not good.
In 2007, I joined FB with (mostly) good intentions of connecting with old and new friends. However, I quickly realized that FB was a sanctuary for angry people like myself, so I did what most people do: I started posting controversial ideas/articles/pictures that I knew would start fights and then proceeded to spend my days fighting those fights. This was not a high point in my life. I have tried to calm down since then, but it’s not always easy, especially with the criminals running the country right now. Since 2016 specifically, I have lost several friends and family members on FB because of my posts and my comments on other people’s posts (most people deserved whatever I said, but I digress…). While I stand by the positions I take, I’m not sure my delivery online is always — what’s the word — tactful?
So, I’m taking the time to say that I am, at the very least, thinking about about my social media shortcomings, and I am cognizant of the ways in which FB overuse impacts me, my beliefs, and my actions. I hope that this self-awareness gives me the tools to fix these issues before I wind up hurting myself, my friends and loved ones, and my campaign.
So, for anyone who cares, here are a few takeaways I have learned about using social media while campaigning (and while living in general): First, the more time you spend on FB, the more you want to contribute, whether or not you have something meaningful to say or post. When you’re aware that people are “following” you, for some reason, you feel compelled to weigh in on everything. Thus, I have found myself getting roped into fights about issues that I don’t actually care all that much about (see my recent post on the controversy around Momo). Take the Marie Kondo approach on this: If it doesn’t bring you joy — or, flip side, if it doesn’t make you so angry that your head might explode — then it’s not worth posting. If you’re only slightly happy, tepidly intrigued, or moderately outraged, move on.
Second, you can, indeed, become irrelevant if you oversaturate social media. While it’s probably a good idea to have a social media presence if you’re seeking office, posting too much can lead to exhaustion. There are so many people who I love on FB, but I simply cannot keep up with all of their posts throughout the day. In some cases, I have started to just breeze right by these folks when they appear in my thread because it’s just too much. Conversely, for those friends who rarely post, I always stop and pay attention. Because they post so little, it’s more likely that they are posting something meaningful (-ish). Ultimately, if people start coming down with a case of Monica Fatigue (highly possible and wouldn’t blame you one bit), then I’ve lost my audience.
Along the same lines, I’ve learned I need to get back in my lane. I’m running for local school board, not president. I want people to understand the educational and community issues that concern me most. This is not to say that I can’t express my disgust at Tucker Carlson’s unenlightened (that’s the most generous word I can use here) position on women in the workforce or post a picture in support of AOC, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib (#Queens). What it does mean is that I have to think more critically about what I post. Not every issue is my issue, and not every issue is worth throwing down on.
Am I saying goodbye to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Hell no! But, I am going to be more judicious with my posts. So, if you hear a little less from me, don’t take it amiss: I’m just trying to learn and grow.
