some things to (un)learn
I recently thought about what needs unlearning when transitioning from social media to a website and/or blog.
Some thoughts I had:
You're no longer forced to make very short, quippy content that fits into a small text box, or a character-limited post, or a short/reel. You can give your thoughts the room they need without condensing repeatedly until you have the very essence that sometimes just sounds more harsh and inaccurate than it would need to be.
There is a form of privacy by planned intransparency that you're more free to use here. If you've had alts, finstas, or generally accounts more removed from your real identity, this won't be an issue; this is more for the people who grew up in social media that normalizes showing everything and attach your real name. You're not a fake, a fraud or a catfish for doing less; this space is now for you, not to perform or to give data to companies. There is also privacy by letting people misunderstand you and not correcting them or overexplaining in response.
Coming here, in many ways, is resisting the attention economy. You're no longer a court jester performing for the algorithm hoping to go viral and appease the masses. You're no longer expected to have media training levels of competence around fame and fan engagement for blowing up overnight.
You're allowed to embrace and prioritize slow and longform content, clunkiness and self-expression. You're not forced to optimize, go with trends, appeal, monetize, expand and scale, or build a brand.
There is a difference between sharing and seeking engagement here. Some people just want to be read and don't care for responses. Some things are out there for the author, not the readers. The website you're on might be a room, not a stage or a podium.
You can mourn the web that could have been while also building it.
You don't have to abandon every aspect of social media altogether. If you liked memes, jokes, short posts, some trends, go for it.
You've been encouraged to containerize your different facets into different accounts and aesthetics to appeal more to followers, but you don't have to do that here anymore. It might even be counterproductive and overwhelming. Don't be afraid to reintegrate it all.
Email is not old, outdated and too formal here, and you can write like you'd write a message. While people on social media felt overwhelmed and annoyed by DMs, people love receiving email here. You're not annoying them.
Posting images that aren't yours/of you and your life is seen differently here. It's very normalized on Pinterest and X to add aesthetic pictures and even selfies of other people to your things with the expectation that the readers know it is just added as an eyecatcher, emphasis or moodboard. People here will think it's you(rs) though and might think you're impersonating.
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