Why I’m Leaving The Social Media Industry
It’s time for me to wrap this sh*t up.
“I’m passionate about social media.” That’s what an early-twenties me would say, with the widest smile on my face, when sitting across from hiring managers in interviews. After nine years in this field, that feeling has changed and what were once feelings of excitement and passion, have transformed into anxiety, annoyance, and perpetual doom.
I’ve done it all, literally. I started my career as a Social Media Intern for a social media agency back in 2013. Since then, I’ve been a Community Manager, a Social Media Manager, a Sr. Social Media Manager, Social Media Director, back to a Social Media Manager, then a Sr. Social Analyst (which was really just a Community Manager with a glorified job title), to finally—Head of Social. Despite my “success”, what I have now come to realize is that the upward progression in my career has left me feeling extremely exhausted.
Like in other areas of my life, I’ve had some of the best moments working in this field and also, some of the worst. I remember attending my first Social Media Day and feeling so inspired by the social media professionals that were sharing stories of how they helped their clients make more money for their small businesses and make their customers smile, and I wanted to do that too. During my time in the airline industry, I was able to help a Black woman feel seen just with a simple comment on Facebook. To this day, that is one of the most rewarding moments of my career.
However, I also remember the moments that literally made me want to throw my laptop and phone out of the window and throw myself out with them:
- senior leaders contacting me while I was on vacation just to delete a post;
- an executive vice president cursing at me in an email for not deleting negative comments on Instagram;
- witnessing racial attacks on Black women in a community Facebook group that I managed for my employer; and
- a CMO giving credit for the work I did to a white woman on my team, despite her not even being in a social media-related role.
Quite frankly, I’m exhausted, so I decided to do what I always do — prioritize myself. In mid-November, I made the choice to leave my job and end my career as a social media marketer.
A b*tch is tired.
I don’t live my life reflecting on regrets because I don’t have any. If anything, my life is just a story that I’m continuing to write, with me as the main character, and my time in the social media industry is a small chapter in the book of my life. I do, however, have lessons learned and that’s what I want to share:
- You have to prioritize your well-being. This is and always will be the major key and truthfully, I wish I realized it sooner. Anyone that uses social media regularly knows how addictive it can be and when you do social media professionally while using it on your personal time, it can consume you. Transparently, social media has a hold on me and it’s something I’m still working on. I realized that things were getting bad when I wouldn’t leave my house for a week because I would be scrolling on feeds all day. That’s not what I want my life to be, so I’m committing to using social media less. Not making my living off social media marketing will support that choice.
- Be unapologetic about taking time off. The industry will have social media professionals thinking that they need to be online 24/7 to do their job effectively. That’s a lie. There’s so much happening on the internet every day and it’s impossible to be a part of every conversation and always know what’s happening. Go live your life and take that vacation. Take the mental health day. Go outside and talk to a plant. Book the trip, even before your time off request gets approved. If your manager feels that they can’t handle you being gone for some days, they need to get you additional support and/or resources. That’s it.
- Ask for help, as soon as you need it. We all know the “social media team of one” trope is tired and dusty. It needs to die. In order for that to happen, you have to be able to tell your team and leadership that you’re not going to do the work of two or more social media professionals. The best thing you can do for yourself is to ensure that your role is clearly defined and that you and your team are aligned on what your day-to-day work will look like. The moment you feel like things are getting overwhelming, ask for help. If they don’t get it for you, simply do not do the work.
- Trust your gut. This work is chaotic as f*ck. We know this yet we still put all this pressure on ourselves to get likes and “go viral”, just for a senior executive to ask why we’re not including links in our Instagram posts or for a customer to drag you in the comments section as if you sold them a product directly. You have to do your best to trust your instincts and rely on the expertise you’ve crafted throughout your career. Social media will always evolve. Something that has worked for you previously may not work now or tomorrow and that’s okay. That doesn’t mean you don’t know what you’re doing and whether they want to admit or not, most social media marketers are just winging it anyway. I can confirm — I’ve been doing this for a while and honestly, it has just been vibes and random ideas that come to light on my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
These lessons are some of the many things I’m taking away from my experience in this industry, and ultimately, the first one I listed above is why I’m making my exit. What “leaving the social media industry” means for me is that I will not be doing social media management, strategy, or consulting for my employers or clients nor branding myself as a social media marketer. I will, however, be maintaining my presence on social media and will continue using it as a means to build my brand, share content, and socialize with people.
I think social media is always going to be a huge part of my life and that’s something I’m perfectly okay with, as long as I’m using it intentionally and it feeds me creatively. I’ve been able to build a community on social media and a personal brand, which has afforded me many opportunities but most importantly — it has allowed me to explore my creative self.
What’s Next For Me
I’ll be working for myself as a full-time Content Creator.
This is a move that shouldn’t come as a shock, as creating content is a huge part of social media management and throughout my work for brands, I’ve realized that I have a real talent for it. I love writing, conceptualizing ideas, making videos, and being behind the camera, so that’s the work that I will continue doing, on my own time and with me as the ultimate decision-maker.
I definitely could have found another job with an employer and helped other brands build their presence through content marketing but at this time in my life, I know that it wouldn’t be fulfilling. For me, this is a return to who 16-year-old Jayde wanted to be — an entrepreneur and a woman making money on her own terms. Honestly, I don’t really know what the f*ck I’m doing but I’m okay with that. The way I see it, I’ll just get through this phase in my career like I do everything else: with good vibes and weed.
More importantly, I’m taking the entire month of January off to relax, enjoy my life and do the random adult things that will bring me additional peace like cleaning the baseboards in my condo and re-watching every episode of Insecure.
This is my gratitude.
It took me a while to get here but my career in social media made me realize that I am indeed the creative that I never thought I was. My creativity was just confined to the platforms that are Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. While it has had its sh*tty moments, I’m grateful… for everything I’ve been taught and for everything I’ve learned.
This work has been rewarding in many ways and led me to a new chapter where I’ll be having a lot more fun at work. There’s so much that I want to do in 2022 and will be doing. I’m excited to take y’all on the journey with me and in advance — thank you for supporting, listening, and watching.
PS: I still want to be buried with my best Reels and Tweets.
