Just a couple of weeks ago I started posting on Threads. I don’t know why, but Meta’s algorithms worked better for me than Twitter’s — the feed felt a bit more fun, so I jumped in with some of my thoughts.
And one thread in my feed triggered me a little: a girl was asking how not to react to negativity. The answers that consistently upset me are the ones from social media “gurus”: negativity is good, it helps with reach. You can even pour some oil on the fire.
And overall, I agree with that logic; but it seems to me that selling your values for attention is a bad move. First of all, it is literally selling your values. In the long run, I can’t imagine how one can work while knowing that they are deliberately provoking people into negative emotions.
Secondly, what product does this actually help? Not a blog in terms of followers; not a platform in terms of already sold attention — but a specific product. If you’re an SMM manager for a product, does the product really need that kind of attention? If you’re a blogger selling ads, what quality of audience are you attracting by jumping into shitstorms?
Finally, thirdly, many people like to recall a phrase from the 90s: “Black PR is still PR.” Well, guys, that’s bullshit — and I say this as someone who almost got a master’s degree in marketing communications. There are painkiller-type products, and for them it’s fine to be associated with negative emotions. That’s why in tampon ads you can sing some cringy song like “Heels and makeup, everything’s tip-top — this day is ours!” and even if people hate it, they’ll remember it in the store: oh yeah, those pads, we know them. But there are products that give you extra pleasure, that move you from “good” to “great”: a bottle of Coke that accompanies New Year’s Eve, a can of beer hissing open before a football match starts. And those products have no right to be associated with something bad. And most products that rely on advertising through blogs and trust are exactly this kind.
So the idea of maintaining negativity is:
- Unethical
- Unprofessional
- Contrary to science
Be kittens, not assholes ❤️