How do you determine value whilst trying to create something valuable?
So Crafting Good Health has been producing videos now for just over 7 months. I haven’t generally given myself much time to reflect, given the process of sourcing, filming and editing videos being so demanding, and trying to problem solve as COVID and lockdowns wreaked havoc on our well intentioned plans. I have already taken so much joy from this process, laughing with a variety of different people, reading your messages and thoughts and working with others to make videos that we are proud of.
When we started the series, there were many things I expected to happen. I expected that the people who I would have a chance to interview would be amazing and inspiring, and they have been. I expected the production and creation of each of the videos to be challenging, and it has been. I expected that I would get more out of each interview that I could ever give to the interviewees and I think I have.
I never expected to fall prey to Youtube’s numerical and flawed version of success.
I usually avoid social media, having always found the false lives we so desperately display and the notion of success associated with innumerable likes or interactions exhausting. With that being said, several times during each day I login to Youtube’s studio and carefully read the brightly lit and overwhelming data about the channel that somehow covers the entire screen.
Sometimes I have been filled with so much guilt that a video’s reaction, or view count is not as high as the value that I associate with the amazing people who feature within it. I really can’t explain how much I appreciate people being involved in the series, and I so badly want to convey this. I’m not sure how bright icons and tabled statistics have transformed my measure of success from creating meaningful videos to counting numbers.
When recently discussing my woes to a friend they said “What makes a video successful?”. I had to step back and think. We had originally said that creating videos that we were proud of was our version of success, and anything else was secondary. Considering if a video will appeal to viewers, or if we present ourselves as professional shouldn’t come into the process, yet sometimes it creeps in.
Some studies have shown that sharing experiences increases the intensity of the feelings we are experiencing – be them positive or negative (Baumeister, & Leary 1995, Heinrich, & Gullone 2006). Perhaps we have such a strong need to share things with as many people as possible as we intend to spread joy, or maybe we want to feel solidarity with others as we suffer challenges. One research article titled Wanting without enjoying: The social value of sharing experiences by Jolly E, Tamir DI, Burum B, Mitchell JP (2019), stated ‘The value derived from shared experiences may come predominantly from social rather than hedonic motivations’. Perhaps our common theory that those who are heavy social media users crave attention is wrong, and instead we share and strive for more likes, more attention because we want to feel a connection with as many people as possible.
Maybe this is also where my fall into youtube’s analytics has stemmed from. I am so proud of every person who has been involved in this series, and maybe I just want them and their story to connect with as many others as possible.
So I promise that I will continue to strive for a deeper connection and shallow response.
For a heavy conversation and light following. For stories that define and connect us.
Crafting Good Health 