Social media pervades our lives today. Even if we’re not on it, it affects our lives and our society. Over the last five years, I’ve become increasingly cognisant of the ethical dilemmas that social media platforms present. Which is why I’ve created The Social Studio. I’m combining my years of social media and digital marketing expertise with broader thinking on social media use and design that puts humans, integrity, and responsibility at the centre. It’s about using social media, as marketers and as users, with transparency and accountability.
There will be blogposts to get you thinking, downloadable resources to help you if you’re a social media marketer, an IGTV series where we can have dialogues, and a mailing list. I’m all about growth, which is why I want to expand what FlowerFolio represents. I’m also all about integrity, which is why FlowerFolio has guiding Ethical Principles, part of which also includes FlowerFolio’s Social Media Engagement Principles.
I recognise there are many complex forces at play in the social media world. But the biggest problem is that it is an exploitative, capitalist model that reimagines colonisation. I believe social media tools need to change, and realise this requires change from many fronts, both within and without these companies.
FlowerFolio therefore uses social media to reach a wider audience, in the hopes that we can showcase human lives, lived offline and online, with integrity, and thus lived well.