Social Media! Screwed without it???

Convener(s): Jamie Wood

Participants: dunno sorry- 10 or so lovely people

 

Summary of discussion, conclusions and/or recommendations:

This session could have several different subtitles- 

1. I hate twitter and facebook and all that nonsense, I want to moan…
2. Persuade me that it’s good and that I should have a go…
3. I’m scared of it, show me how…
4. Do I have to??

I’m resistant, I don’t want it to be another demand on my time, it’s all DROSS, there’s no nourishment in it anyway, like cheap white sliced bread.

If a festival or funding body is asking that you have some internet presence you might only need to open a twitter account.

BUT WHAT ABOUT PRIVACY???

You choose, you’re in control of how much time it takes up, you’re in control, it can be really useful. In just the last couple of weeks I’ve learnt about funding opportunities, festivals, residencies, stuff I wouldn’t have heard about in any other way.

BUT I’m worried that it makes the theatre industry lazy in it’s ability and desire to diversify because it ends up only communicating with people who are on twitter.

Let me tell you why twitter is brilliant- It’s like being in a huge pub- the prejudice is that you’ll fill your life full of banal details of other peoples’ lives but you choose who you follow- it’s like a big open space, you’re in control, you can converse with leading public figures that you would never have the opportunity to meet.

As a freelancer I do feel somewhat isolated sometimes and I do have a desire to be more connected.

@ persons twitter name# subject title

But there feels like there are loads of hidden rules, it feels like a gang that I’m not part of.

How productive is it? I mean versus the time it takes up?

But that’s just your time management and your choice.

It does feel weirdly urgent.

BUT it’s your personal choice- you have control over what you read and what you say.

Nourishing a hash tag- what does that mean(panic)- nothing I just made it up.

Oh I thought it was some twitter speak.

It’s crazy how sometimes you can phone and phone and email but get no response. BUT then when it’s tweeted you’ll get an immediate response-it’s cause it’s public so people feel they need to take responsibility for the comment or question.

Yeh, that’s what I find a bit intimidating about it, the public nature, it makes me feel very vulnerable. There seems to be numerous ways in which one is good or bad at twitter, is that true? 

Look, I joined twitter cause it’s fun and then it leads to stuff BUT like making a show, if your intention is to make a show that makes loads of money then it’ll be shit, but if you’re just interested in stuff then you’re more likely to make something more interesting, if you wanna do it then just do it for fun and it might turn out useful.

Tip toes in the water, be curious- it’s lovely for meeting people.

And it’s easier to be bold I find.

BUT I feel oppressed already by all the demands on my time and energy, I don’t want anymore.

Do you think twitter makes you unable to be present in one space cause you might find yourself gravitating towards other virtual spaces.

Yes that makes me think of a memory of when there were three people in our house, all in different rooms all tweeting about the same thing, and we didn’t realize until somebody else tweeted us whether we were all together.

Now we have a curfew.