On Getting Older and Working in Social Media

Hi! It’s my birthday! Today I turn 33.

It’s funny because working in social I’ve always been a little bit nervous about getting older. It’s not even about getting “old”. It’s just about being another year further away from what’s deemed “cool” by younger, more online generations—like I’m pulling rubber band that one birthday might just snap. These fears are backed up by the tropes and jokes and tweets that tell us social media is an industry you age out of. How could anyone older than 30 really understand what’s happening online?

I, personally, reject this! And I hope you do too!

What I always come back to is that when I was 23 I would have done anything to have a manager who was 33, had worked in social for their whole career, and understood the intricacies of my job. Someone who simply got why the workload was too much for one person or approved my weird video idea without questioning the ROI.

That exists now and I think that’s a really good thing.

It’s true that I don’t know every single thing that’s happening online. I Googled IJBOL a few weeks ago. But that’s why you should hire, nurture, and trust young social managers who do—while also remaining curious and open to learning yourself.

Plus, as we all know, there’s a lot more to social than being online. Many of the social managers who are doing amazing work for brands are supported by social directors who know how to navigate a company crisis, can put together powerful reporting that gets the department more budget, and have honed their ability to pitch social-first campaigns. Just to name a few things.

Sure, if you take a curmudgeonly approach to social media, you will age out. “Back in my day we never posted memes on the brand account!” Well, today it happens to work very well for a lot of companies—let’s try and understand why.

I am excited to keep getting older and continue working in social media. When I started my first social job in 2013 there were no VPs of social. There were only a few resources. Mentors were hard to come by. Instagram had only been around for about a year. So much has changed, so much will change. Understand your strengths (there’s no growing out of knowing how to tell a good story!), embrace young social managers, keep learning, and be the mentor you wish you had.

Okay, let’s get into today’s newsletter:

• 5 examples of social listening becoming content

• Vogue Scandinavia’s Social Media Manager went viral because of this specific iPhone rig

• The Messenger shut down, so their social team posted about it

• I guess TikTok wants horizontal videos now

• Three ideas for getting creative with VO (sorry I can’t stop talking about VO!)

• Plus 15 quick links and social ideas! Including a smart duet from Whole Foods, some thoughts on PR kit giveaways, my favorite brand on LinkedIn right now, and more...