I shared my honest opinions on social media for 60 days. Here’s what happened.
The date is April 23rd, 2020. I’ve just joined a Zoom call for a speaker panel about public speaking. The hosts introduce today’s guest speaker, a man who talks for half an hour about the importance of liberating your voice through music. Not exactly what I was expecting, but I listen intently and even muster the confidence to raise my virtual hand to ask the final question during the Q&A, “What would you recommend we do on social media to be in touch with your theory?”
The guest speaker sits silently for a moment and then responds, “I’m sorry. I don’t think. I’m not educated enough on that subject to have an answer.”
Everyone on the call squints in confusion.
Isn’t he supposed to be an expert?
“That’s alright,” one of the hosts chimes in. “This concludes the Q&A, as well as this panel. Thank you everyone for coming and a special thank you to our wonderful speaker.”
The call ends, and I’m stunned staring at a blank screen.
In our age of social media, there is growing pressure to have quick, witty responses to everything going on in the world. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit have simultaneously broadened the scope of “the conversation” and narrowed our understanding of the person behind the post.
It’s rare to see someone share their honest opinions. It’s even rarer to see someone admit they aren’t qualified to answer a question.
Lately, I find myself speaking on subjects that I’m not really qualified to speak on. I’m a college student with burgeoning interests in media, venture capital, startups, writing, among others. I’m not a researcher. I don’t have decades of experience. I am an engaged, active, and curious learner. But, is that enough to establish a worthy opinion?
It wasn’t until May 12th, 2020 that I began to understand the genius of that guests speaker’s honesty in April.
Over the last few years, social media critics have perpetuated the idea that the platforms are merely highlight reels that only show the best parts of our lives. In the eyes of many of these critics, social media perpetuates dangerous levels of social comparison, which may be the culprit in the rise of mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and suicide.
While the evidence of this phenomenon is well documented, I couldn’t help but think that the widespread reach of social media can also act as a positive force, especially when we actively subvert the notion that social media is just for showing our highest moments.
On May 12th, 2020, I set out on an experiment to test this hypothesis and answer one, simple question: What would happen if I were more honest on social media?
I started small: publishing an unfiltered, iPhone quality video to my Instagram account. In this ten minute video, I talked through my inability to narrow my focus on just one thing.
Upon publishing the video, I placed my phone down for an hour and, when I returned, I noticed paragraph after paragraph of responses in the video’s comments. The initial test was a success.
In the two months that followed, an IGTV series titled “rants & ramblings” was born. The premise was simple: talk about anything that interests you without scripting or rehearsing it. Over the course of thirteen videos, I talked about issues as disparate as the importance of journaling to COVID-19’s impact on workplace policy. And, with every video, my resistance to publishing decreased.
You want to know the craziest part? Not only did more people watch than I anticipated, but there was actually meaningful dialogue in the comments. People I never directly knew but followed on Instagram began to reach out, and I even cultivated new friendships from it.
The intention for this experiment was never to gain followers or increase my engagement (in fact, I actually lost followers and the comments became more rare). The intention was purely to test the effects of honesty online, and I’d argue it was a success.
TLDR: Honesty is a superpower. Give it a try.
Don’t feel knowledgeable enough for an informed opinion to a question you’ve been asked?
Answer as that guest speaker did last April.
Want to share your initial thoughts on a passion of yours despite lacking expertise?
Lead with honesty and send that tweet, post that video, write that blog. It just might succeed in a way you couldn’t have imagined.
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