Followers & Fans

Social Media and True Fans in an Erratic Media Environment

Digital platforms can vanish as suddenly as they appear. Today it's TikTok's uncertain fate and an exodus of progressives from Facebook. As a musician who rode MySpace's peak with my band July For Kings (yes, I’m that old!), I've watched this cycle before. These virtual spaces feel permanent while we're building on them, until they're not.

Building a following on any platform is hard work. Now creators face additional pressures: an erratic, newly nativist, increasingly authoritarian government in the United States, and frequent algorithm changes that can erase years of work overnight. This precarity has me reflecting on what truly endures in art and music. After a decade-long break from performing music, I'm navigating today's digital landscape with both experience and fresh eyes. The ecosystem has shifted dramatically - in ways that no longer serve artists.

I maintain a modest presence with my visual art on Instagram but the dynamics are a lot different now. Today's platforms prioritize rapid-fire content consumption over meaningful connection. Instagram was originally a humble, real-time photo-sharing app; now it is essentially ad-supported television for two-second attention spans. And for musicians, there's no clear path to monetization. Posts directing listeners to Spotify often get buried by algorithms. If a potential listener does make it over to Spotify, streaming payouts are minimal. So at this point, astronomical profits are going to social media companies and streaming companies on the backs of a lot of labor by professional and amateur creators. It’s the worst of both worlds: all the extra work that indie and DIY requires, but the major profits being reaped by major players just like in the major label days. Making followers is difficult. Making committed listeners out of followers is event harder.

This brings me to a crucial distinction: followers versus fans. A follower might engage with your content for seconds, sporadically, without investment. But a fan? They develop a relationship with your work. I know this from both sides.

As a musician with July For Kings, we did this the old-fashioned way— by playing hundreds of shows at clubs. Through meeting people in person one-on-one for years. And through selling music when music had more real economic value and more cultural cachet. And perhaps most importantly, through the songs themselves.

Someone once told me: "The songs are where you get your power." The same applies to any art form. Without compelling work at the core, no amount of social media strategy matters. While follower counts offer quick validation, they're often as ephemeral as the platforms themselves.

As a music fan myself, when I connect with my favorite artists through their music as opposed to their “digital presence”, I often feel as if I am right there with them, that I am allowed to peek into their inner worlds and hear their fears and desires. And yet most artist I love I do not follow on social media. I don’t so much care what they are doing on a day-to-day basis, or what their specific views are on particular topics. Rather, I have a relationship with those artists through listening to their music. Or in the case of visual artists, it’s through seeing the work in the flesh.

I've come to realize art and music are a long game. It is cumulative. The work itself endures while platforms come and go. Having taken time away from the digital fray helped clarify this. While young artists now discover audiences through social media, there's a risk of prioritizing platform presence over real artistic development.

What remains constant is the power of meaningful connection through art. Whether it’s through a painting that stops someone in their tracks or a song that resonates on a deep level, these moments transcend followers and algorithms. I’m really grateful to have that kind of connection with artists I love. And to have at least a few true fans myself - the kind who stick with you regardless of which platform comes or goes next! Thanks for being here.