Yesterday while scrolling through Instagram I stumbled upon a post entitled ‘vanity metrics’. The post came from Victor Sosanya (@victorsosanya), a young ambitious entrepreneur that specialises in Personal Branding and Development. You guys should definitely go follow him because the gem I am about to share with you came directly from him.
So what are vanity metrics? Varying slightly from the definition offered in the original post, in short they are a measure of “likes, comments, shares, views, followers and other online metrics that act as a form of social proof”.
While these metrics are not intrinsically bad to look at or keep an eye on, they are dangerous because they perpetuate an artificial sense of security and self-worth. The dopamine released into our bodies when a post garners a huge amount of engagement is toxic. It makes posting online about us gaining instant gratification, when it should be about adding value to others. Of course, this only applies to people who are using social media to promote their business or personal brand. Because, in my humble opinion, what is the point of starting a business or having a personal brand if its purpose isn’t to serve others?
Another problem with vanity metrics is that people use them to measure personal growth and development. In reality likes and comments are not an indication of improved human capital. The only way to improve a skill is through deliberate practise (practising with the intention to get better) not by sharing content. Put simply, content sharing should never be a means in itself. It should be about providing value or documenting your journey, showing people where you have started and how far you have come. This way, others can learn and grow with you. Victor Sosanya has demonstrated a perfect example of this kind of content sharing.
Back in 2019 he made a post about one day featuring in Powerful Media’s Future Leaders magazine. 2 years and 105 posts later Victor didn’t just get featured in the Magazine, he was ranked 9th. This is a clear example of documenting your journey. Between making the first post and winning the award, Victor’s Instagram serves as a representation of how much he has improved as a person.
The arguments presented above should be enough for all of us to stop and question our relationship with our social media personas. Because if you are posting online to supress your insecurities or for social validation, you are walking down a dark path. Furthermore, I want to make it clear that if what I am saying is ringing home, then you are not alone. Human beings are social creatures, so caring about the opinions of others is normal. It is hardwired into our DNA. And no business or personal brand can succeed without feedback from others. However, when your belief system is set up to use vanity metrics as the only source of input or success indicator, you will run into real problems.
So, if not vanity metrics how can we be sure that our content adds value to others. While there are multiple answers to this question, each with equal validity, but I can only share and explain my belief system and how I define success. For me, it’s all about tangible results: how much have I improved the life of an individual or the groups of individuals I am targeting. So, in all honesty, likes and comments aren’t a priority, the integrity, authenticity, and the action people take after viewing my content rank higher.
An example of something I see as a win is when I got a message from a follower who said that TobiTalkss had inspired them to start an Instagram page about economics and current affairs. The fact that my content has inspired someone else to create a page about something they are passionate about far outweighs the shallowness of getting 10,000 likes on a post. This kind of feedback speaks directly to my heart. It is the reason I started posting political content online.
My hope is that people reading this reassess their belief system and why they are creating content. Is it to uplift and inspire others? Or is it a form of escapism? If it is the latter, speak to friends and family that can help you put things into perspective, then create a belief system that prioritises tangible results over shallow ones. If you don’t have anyone you feel comfortable speaking to about this, my DMs are always open.
Everything you said is true! It’s really tough because as humans we tend to thrive off positive feedback from others, but it’s really important to keep our focus on what’s important. Know your ‘why’ and stick to that! Loved this post Tobi.