Social Media Has Never Been My Thing

· 2024.06.27

Social media has never been my thing – not because of the metrics or negativity, as you might assume.

First, the idea of randomly popping up on someone’s feed somehow makes me feel uncomfortable. Especially when promoting my music involves adding a track to a post, I often wonder how people might react to it. I prefer a more intentional approach, though it isn’t mainstream in my community. If someone wants to check in on me or my work, I’d rather they come to my little garden online. That’s why I put my effort into making YinsonLee.com (showcasing my creative work such as albums, essays, music videos, etc.) and now building Yinson.Cafe.

Also, I’m content with my life. Strangely, I don’t feel the need to share it online. I’ve spent around 300 days traveling in the last two years, but barely 5% of that made it onto my social media. People keep saying to me, “You should share your experiences and maybe sometimes tips n tricks,” but I have so much going on already, and living my life fully is much more important than curating an online persona. Yet, it seems like that’s what everybody does nowadays – put ourselves out there and constantly maintain an appearance, and ironically, my job somehow requires me to do so.

Next, dealing with platform rules – like size and format – adds another layer of complexity. And what’s even worse is that every platform has its own rules! As someone passionate about photography and videography, these rules can be daunting. Plus, certain major Chinese content platforms have strict censorship on sensitive words, even when those words are totally appropriate and inoffensive in context. I have no intention of challenging anything, yet this still compromises my willingness to upload content.

Anyway, my resistance to social media may never fully fade, but I’m open to taking small steps toward showcasing my work and hopefully connecting with a wider span of people. This website, which I’ve hesitated to create for years, marks my small step. So, I hope you find something enjoyable here, and wish me luck!