I’m a big fan of indie rock music. I’ve been known to waste away an afternoon discussing my latest favorite band with a friend, listening to my favorite Death Cab for Cutie song, or pointing out why Spoon’s minimalism is a refreshing change of pace. You get the point.
The other day, I had an epiphany while chatting about music with a friend on Twitter. Social media and indie rock allow for similar experiences, and the qualities they share attract me to both. Allow me to explain:
Community. When friends and I share a common love of a band, we listen to the albums separately, but then revel in coming together to talk about our favorite tracks, or to see the band live. Social networking is also about connecting, on and off the Web. Not only do I send messages to my friends on Facebook, but I chat with my co-workers about who wrote what on someone’s wall. I feel like I’m connected to people when we share the same interests.
The “in” feeling. When I love a band that hardly anyone seems to know about, it gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling–like they’re my little secret. Similarly, when I discover a social network that I get a lot of value from, I immediately feel like I’ve stumbled upon something special. In both of these situations, my reaction is to evangelize: I tell people how they have to listen to the latest album by Obscure Band X, or they have to join Social Network Y. Which brings me to…
The need for humility. Evangelists by nature have a hard time believing that any answer but theirs is the right answer. Lovers of certain social media tools jealously defend them, and believe that those who don’t use them don’t “get it”. Likewise lovers of certain bands sneer down their noses at those who may have other musical tastes–as if anything less than TV On The Radio on your iPod is an insult to their existence. (OK, I’m pointing a finger at myself a little bit here.) We (I) need to be able to articulate the reasoning behind why this band or that social network has merit without resorting to snobbery. Because, let’s face it…
The next big thing is just around the corner. Admit it: the best band is the one you discovered before anyone else. You want to be the person who says, “Wait, you haven’t heard so-and-so yet?” Which means once everyone has heard so-and-so, you’re out the door looking for your next great discovery. Social media works similarly. Tell me the appeal of Facebook didn’t go down a little once your mom wrote on your wall. Because I won’t believe you.
Once again, I’ve made an analogy that I feel could be much more fleshed out. Ideas?
Photo credit: Nirazilla
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As someone who only let the DJ play indie music during the cocktail hour at our wedding, I *love* this analogy. You’re totally right. One other thought to add: One of the things I enjoy about indie music is the fact that it’s not overproduced. That it’s genuine and raw (for lack of a better word). I feel like you’re actually listening to that artist … not just their voice over-synthesized or edited. Likewise, with SM you get to see who a person really is … not just the perfected/polished version.
Thanks for the analogy. Maybe I can use it to get some of my other “indie-music-fan friends” more into social media.
Heather (@prtini)
@Heather
Great point about the rawness of both indie rock and social media (when done well). I think it’s safe to say that fans of both are looking for authenticity. But I wonder: are we fooling ourselves? After all, a lot of the bands we like have just as much production as the other guys. They’re only produced to sound a different way (more “authentic”). And in social media we are seeking out real people to connect to, but is that connection shallow if it’s only through the Web? Something to ponder.
See, I knew people would come up with great analogies that were lost on me when writing this. Fantastic work.