Common Myths About Social Media
Are today's common myths about social media helpful or hurtful? That's find out.

If you're chasing success as an artist in today's world, social media is non-negotiable. It's one of the most central parts of your career because social media is the easiest way to reach and win over an audience. That said, there are tricks and tips to the social media game. Way too many people claim to know what those tricks and tips are so the misinformation flying around.

Knowing what to do is important, but sometimes, knowing what not to do is just as critical. In this article, I've curated a list of ten social media myths you should ignore. Let's get to them.

I must be on every platform

There are millions of people on social media. Each platform has its statistics showing how it's one of the most popular in the world. The temptation is often to open an account everywhere because that's the best way to build an audience. That's a myth you need to let go of sooner than later. You don't have to be everywhere. It's even better when you're not everywhere.

It's better to pick one or two social media platforms and focus on hacking the systems and algorithms to maximize the audience. By the time you've built a big enough audience, you can have massive accounts everywhere because people recognize your name. At this early stage of your career, however, pick one or two and master them.

Organic reach is impossible

Every platform has its specific systems and algorithms, but there's a general formula. The more people see and engage with your content, the better. Building an audience is no easy feat. It's so hard that there's a narrative going around that it's impossible to get an audience unless you cut corners. That's a lie.

Organic reach remains the best because it means people are actually interested in what you have to offer. Cutting corners with group chats might give you a large follower count faster but won't result in actual long-term growth. Stay organic.

AI can do everything

We're in the computer age. When Chat GPT arrived, it was the big announcement that things were about to change. This is now the AI age. You can get computers to do tons of things from writing articles to creating images. Some AI tools even boast the ability to create music. In your social media journey, it's easy to feel like letting AI do all the work. Don't do it.

AI can't do everything, especially where social media is concerned. The point of social media is to connect with your fans. AI can help you with some tasks, but you have to be in it. Your audience must feel that connection with you. If you come off as too artificial, you won't win over any fans.

Social media is for teenagers

If you're a middle aged artist, you might be ignoring social media because you think it's just a place where the kids gather to have fun. That is such a funny misconception that should be thrown off like you would a cockroach on your body. Everyone is on social media. There are no demographic or race constraints on who you'll find online.

That said, even if it's for teenagers, millions of people use social media. You don't want the younger generation to appreciate your music?

I’ll run out of content

This one is a lie from the pit of hell as Nigerian mothers put it. Creativity is a funny thing. While most things reduce or diminish with use, creativity increases. The more you do creative things, the more ideas pop into your head. You'll only run out of ideas if you don't engage yourself. The best way to do this is to make as much as you can.

As you put out content, new ideas will come to mind even more.

Nobody cares what I have to say

I'll be upfront, at first no one cares. No matter how good what you put out is, people won't care if they don't know you. As bad as this sounds, it's actually good. No matter how many social media courses you've paid for, beginner days are always beginner days. Now that no one cares, push content consistently. As you improve, people will start getting close because you're doing something right.

Use the time when no one cares about you to post all your beginner content.

Followers are the main goal

When I see artists running after followers so much, it breaks my heart. Getting a high follower count doesn't translate into success. There are several other metrics that help show how successful you are online. Engagement is one of the most underrated yet most important parts of social media growth. Followers are nice but they're not everything.

Followers don’t matter

The flip side of the coin is that followers don't matter at all. Followers are not the end of the matter but they're still quite important. The higher your follower count, the more engagements you'll enjoy. Followers are especially helpful when you build an audience online.

Bad comments

Social media is an online village. Whenever you make a post, other people will make comments. Some will be nice, some will be rude. You need to learn to deal with the pressures that come with comments. Whether they're toxic or not, that's now a part of your life. You will post and even if people talk, stand strong. Bad comments will not kill you. Instead, if you do it the right, it killed my dad.

Social media is not a big deal

Just stop. If you want to reach as many people as possible, social media is the way to do it. To get noticed on social media, there are things you must do. If you're not ready to treat social media like a full job, it'll take you much longer to build that organic audience you really want. Social media is a big deal, don't let anyone tell you it's child's play.

Final Thoughts

Social media is a critical part of your journey as an indie artist. It could transform your career by presenting you to an audience. You've heard many things you should do on social media, but I have now given you a list of ten myths to ignore. I trust you found it helpful and I hope you never fall for the many myths going around.

Cheers to the right information!