As I scroll through my social media feed, sifting through the smorgasbord of content for my consumption; it’s easy to become indifferent to everything that’s thrown at you. With the endless number of memes, viral videos, sponsored ads and political debates all jockeying for our attention… the one thing that seems to always work engagement wise is - the cute kid.
Want some likes? Throw a cute kid in frame!
I don’t know what it is, but it works. It works so well in fact, that somewhere along the line, the idea of creating a persona for a child on social media was born. We’ve all seen it (for reference: McClure Twins; Asahd Khaled; AnaisMirabelle; ForeverandForava). The adorable little kid living life and experiencing precious moments vicariously through their parents’ words. The pages linked above are on the extreme side of popularity for comparison’s sake, but there are plenty regular people doing this with aspirations of their child reaching ‘Insta-Famous’ status one day as well.
Society has taken the innocence of a child growing up and figured out how to monetize it.
As a parent of a toddler and a content creator, I’ve casually kicked around the concept in my head over the last 2 years. Asking myself questions like… How would I go about building a brand for a carefree child? Who would be my 2 year old’s target audience? How would I curate the content on her social media pages? You know… the usual questions that most business owners ask themselves. The goal would be to grow a specific following and then use that following as leverage to broker deals with brands, companies and organizations etc etc etc.
From a business perspective, it makes a lot of sense; from a parenting perspective, I’m conflicted.
I guess it’s a matter of authenticity for me. Personally, the idea of fabricating my kid’s life to the public for attention just feels, for lack of a better word - weird. However, at the same time… my understanding of how powerful social media’s influence is on everything makes me completely ‘get’ why people do it. The process for talent discovery has been completely transformed due to the accessibility of social media. Agencies and brands are looking for the next big ‘thing’ from their cellphone screen’s right now. And the sooner you have an established audience the better!… right?
Imagine the opportunities one could have growing into an Instagram account with hundreds of thousands (in some cases millions) of followers? In a lot of ways, this scenario could be a great head start for a kid becoming a young adult. It could be the beginning of a Social Media Empire! They would have a portfolio, use cases, a brand with a network to leverage. Their fans and supporters would have a deep connection with them due to the fact that they’ve watched them grow up… literally. The power of influence has always been profound and undeniable, and it’s even more prevalent right now.
Parents would be putting their kids in a position to inherit some invaluable things that takes most years to develop - experience, brand awareness, and relevancy.
With all that said… do we as parents really want to accelerate the process of our children needing instant digital gratification before they can even manage a social media account on their own? Social media is designed to keep us coming back for more. This post titled “Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A Battle for your time” is a great read and breaks down how Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram leverage the very same neural triggers used by slot machines and cocaine to keep us using their products as much as possible.
I realize that the times are different.
My child will be exposed to tech as a toddler that wasn’t even thought of until I became an adult.
Hell, she learned the alphabet via Youtube and her colors with Philip Hue Smart Lights for example. During my childhood, the internet was a novelty for most of it. High speed internet was a luxury until I went to college. Now? It’s an essential part of my life. And honestly, it’s challenging finding a good balance for it while raising a child. On one side of the spectrum, you can see how carefree a 2 year old’s life should be… and on the other side, you see how in a lot of ways, social media represents the exact opposite.
Ultimately, we dictate what’s morally right or wrong for us in this ever changing world. We do a lot for ‘likes’ and attention on the internet. Whether it’s right or wrong is an endless discussion… I’ll just say, that I’m going to just try and enjoy the precious time I have right now with my daughter while none of that other stuff matters to her. She’s fine just being happy and getting excited when her loved ones show affection. And I’m cool with that for the time being… but I know it doesn’t last for long. Life gets immensely more complicated once the innocence of being a child eventually wears off - And I’d like to prolong that feeling for her for as long as possible.