Facebook has been overrun by Boomers so if you want a younger crowd, TikTok and Twitch is the way to go. And to the OP, YouTube is not social media.
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Social media. Am I missing out?
- Thread starter NickyBass
- Start date
To expand on your point: Boomers and GenX are the RocknRoll/Live Music generations. Here in Florida, 55+ Community gigs and Biker Community gigs are abundant ( and $) while general area club gigs are a lot less and get fewer and far between each year. Facebook is the favored medium to promote to those crowds
Not being on social media is the best thing you can do to keep any degree of faith in humanity.
Actually, Youtube is social media. It's just a social media platform that has a heavy presence of commercial content, and feels more like TV as a result. But it still 1) allows users to post their own content, 2) allows users to like, share, and follow each other's videos and channels, and 3) enables comments, so you have two-way communication. That's social media.
To the OP, I'd recommend Max Fisher's book The Chaos Machine, and be wary of algorithms. The big social media platforms got big by using big-data algorithms that constantly track all of your activity and throw stuff at you that's calculated to manipulate you into engaging more - more time on the platform, more investment, all means more value for their advertisers. They make their money on advertising, which means you're not their customer, the advertisers are. You are the product they are selling. You're already on Youtube, and Youtube is one of the worst out there, actually. The basic logic is to say "If you engaged with this, you'll also engage with that," but it will always want to "upsell" you to something that makes you engage more with that then you did with this.
You liked this video? You'll like that one even more. You joined this group? You'll especially want to join that one. You got angry at this story? You'll get even angrier at that one.
The logic of the algorithm tends to lure people into more and more extreme content because it's more "engaging," and winds up manipulating people into terrible distortions of themselves. It's an enormously powerful "invisible hand" that operates on us without our even being aware of it unless we're deliberate about doing so. It's why Facebook and Youtube are colossal corporations while MySpace died and Talkbass, that doesn't use an algorithm, remains a modest little corner of the internet.
Having said all that, I'm still on social media myself - mostly Facebook, because I'm more of a verbal than visual person (and because I'm old), but some Instagram and stuff too. Yes, it has allowed me to reconnect with family and school friends that I wouldn't otherwise be in touch with, and yes, it's helpful to network with musicians and promote gigs. For all its drawbacks, it's too powerful of a communication tool to simply ignore, kinda like the printing press was when everyone had been writing by hand. I think the important thing is to be aware that it's constantly trying to manipulate you, so keep your interactions minimal and deliberate, to avoid feeding the beast any more than you have to. Don't join a lot of groups, only click "like" or comment on personal posts by people you know or stuff you genuinely want the algorithm to give you more of, avoid the stronger responses ("love" or "angry," for instance) and be conscious of what's giving you emotional reactions.
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Not exactly. Cause you don't manage it easily to see only what you want. You have to eat a lot of ... , or spend hours to block, ignore, etc..
I’ll add WV to your list, my duo needed to set up a FB page to get bookings more easily, gatekeepers liked that link more than emailing the clips and bio we had. Now in DE, FB also is a go to. My orchestra is on it and it is a hub for the players to communicate. I try to keep it only to business too or to recommend gigs my friends are playing.
Quitting social media is one of the best decisions I ever made.
I am in the camp who highly dislikes Facebook. However, I decided about a year ago to get an account so I can see what bands are playing at local venues. In my area, it seems clubs, restaurants, etc. do not have or have static websites which are rarely updated. However, they post current information on their Facebook accounts. Also, the posts have historical information on who has played at the venue etc. You just have to page through all of the food information. I have found this information useful. I am a terrible salesperson so try to arm myself with as much information as I can about a venue I am trying to get a gig at.
I also search for a venue or band for the same reasons as listed above. However, I never friend or follow anything.
I also setup a profile under my account for the main gigging band I am in. Here is the only place I post. The posts are usually announcements of shows or thanks for showing up to a show. I also post if a new YouTube video has been posted. Each post also points to the band's website, which is where almost all of the important information is kept.
So far I have received few notifications outside of people posting or liking on the band page, which I never respond to. I treat Facebook as a necessary business activity, highly limit my interaction with it, and hold my nose when I do.
I also search for a venue or band for the same reasons as listed above. However, I never friend or follow anything.
I also setup a profile under my account for the main gigging band I am in. Here is the only place I post. The posts are usually announcements of shows or thanks for showing up to a show. I also post if a new YouTube video has been posted. Each post also points to the band's website, which is where almost all of the important information is kept.
So far I have received few notifications outside of people posting or liking on the band page, which I never respond to. I treat Facebook as a necessary business activity, highly limit my interaction with it, and hold my nose when I do.
All the cool kids are on "Social Media " and your missing out on life if your not on it . I only look at my FB site every 3 months or so because I am not cool enough to participate every hour like those who are living a full rich life with interesting friends , family , activities and food so good .......I need to take pictures of it .
TalkBass is the only social media I engage in. I'd rather be broke than stupid.
Lots of good replies. Thanks. I really appreciate all the input. I can see the benefit for some, but I think I'm going to put it off for a while. The funny thing is, with MySpace, when I finally joined, everyone jumped ship to Facebook and I think my only 'friend' was Tom. One thing that I liked about it was that I could post music. But Youtube has that covered, and that's the reason I joined YT.
Don't know if this has been mentioned but I often use FB as a way to avoid giving someone my phone number or personal email. I'd rather friend them on FB and use messenger, that way I can block/unfriend/unfollow them at some point in the future if necessary.
I also use FB to screen people, if I go to their page and it's filled with stuff I find unacceptable than I avoid dealing or working with them.
I also use FB to screen people, if I go to their page and it's filled with stuff I find unacceptable than I avoid dealing or working with them.
I left Facebook 3 years ago. The angry algorithm didn't serve me.
If I need info from the bands page, I backdoor in from Google search.
If I need info from the bands page, I backdoor in from Google search.
In the old, pre-"social media" days, when we wanted to drum up an audience for our performances, we used to take the time to call and invite our friends personally, mail out announcements, put up posters, and just in general spend time to make folks know that we cared enough about them on a personal level to reach out to them and let them know we'd love the chance to play for them again.
Recently, I was playing a two hour club date, and we had a nice crowd. A young guitarist came to the gig to hear us, and a few of us had worked with him on other occasions.. nice young kid (mid 20s) who plays very well. We struck up a conversation and I mentioned that I'd like to hear him in some of his other projects, and to please let me know where he's playing next. He has my number. His reply was , "Just follow me on Facebook.. all my gigs are posted there."
Guess who won't be doing that. If he can't be bothered to call, or even text, a friend and colleague, then I can't be bothered to go hear him play.
Yes, "social media" makes it easier to get the word out. It's also easier to ignore, and means so much less than real personal contact. If a business' only website is on Facebook, I don't do business with them.
Edit... Oh, in regards to the earlier "overrun with boomers" comment.... The horror. Productive people with money with serious work ethics. Who'd want them at gigs.
Recently, I was playing a two hour club date, and we had a nice crowd. A young guitarist came to the gig to hear us, and a few of us had worked with him on other occasions.. nice young kid (mid 20s) who plays very well. We struck up a conversation and I mentioned that I'd like to hear him in some of his other projects, and to please let me know where he's playing next. He has my number. His reply was , "Just follow me on Facebook.. all my gigs are posted there."
Guess who won't be doing that. If he can't be bothered to call, or even text, a friend and colleague, then I can't be bothered to go hear him play.
Yes, "social media" makes it easier to get the word out. It's also easier to ignore, and means so much less than real personal contact. If a business' only website is on Facebook, I don't do business with them.
Edit... Oh, in regards to the earlier "overrun with boomers" comment.... The horror. Productive people with money with serious work ethics. Who'd want them at gigs.
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SM is poison in so many ways.
Use it for your purposes and delete all the nonsense clickbait feeds..Hopefully it will eat itself but advertisers, manipulators and influencers are going to milk it as much as they can for as long as they can.
The social element was quickly hijacked and usurped.
Use it for your purposes and delete all the nonsense clickbait feeds..Hopefully it will eat itself but advertisers, manipulators and influencers are going to milk it as much as they can for as long as they can.
The social element was quickly hijacked and usurped.
I think it's a tool just like anything else. Instagram and hipper "young people" social media is better for promotion, but I think FB fits the bill for what you're describing OP. Personally, I use it for lurking. I post maybe once a year to say happy birthday to a friend and otherwise I watch for interesting music community ads, skim memes to text friends, and use Messenger for scheduling band stuff since most folks at least have the messenger app if their texting is dodgy. Plus you can see who's opened your message regardless of if they're iPhone or Android.
What I hate about Facebook is that a lot of times it's the ONLY public face of public businesses. Come on folks, not everyone wants to drink that particular Zucky-flavored Kool Aid! At least give us a basic website, OK?
I mean, Facebook have made no bones about the fact that as far as they're concerned, you have zero interest or control of your own data and anything you post there, every page you visit, everything that can possibly be extracted from your interactions there, can and will be sold, given away, or trumpeted from the rooftops to anyone Facebook decide to give it to, and if you complain you'll be told to go pound sand and if you sue, well, 20 years down the road after you've spent 10 fortunes on lawyers you MIGHT get your legal fees paid, but all that info you were suing to protect will STILL have been broadcast all over the world to remain in cyberspace in perpetuity.
I mean, Facebook have made no bones about the fact that as far as they're concerned, you have zero interest or control of your own data and anything you post there, every page you visit, everything that can possibly be extracted from your interactions there, can and will be sold, given away, or trumpeted from the rooftops to anyone Facebook decide to give it to, and if you complain you'll be told to go pound sand and if you sue, well, 20 years down the road after you've spent 10 fortunes on lawyers you MIGHT get your legal fees paid, but all that info you were suing to protect will STILL have been broadcast all over the world to remain in cyberspace in perpetuity.
Yep. I find that especially frustrating for music-related stuff. There are bands I'm interested in that use FB exclusively or primarily, even over YouTube. If I ever go back to FB, it'll be with a pseudonym, and just so I can follow bands and local venues. No posts, no friends, no likes, no nothing else.
