The Other Two: 4 Ways to Effectively Embrace Social Media
It's so tempting to act like you're "above" social media. No, I don't use social media. I enjoy plants. I also read. Have you heard of that? What's a TikTokgram? This stance, however, is no longer a stance. It's a refusal to recognize that social media is an integral and immovable part of our modern lives. Employers search for you on Facebook. Influencers get cast in major motion pictures based off of their Instagram. Wedding toasts begin with romantic lines such as "Sooooo after we both swiped right-".
It can be frustrating to see those who have leaned into social media succeeding because we were all told not to lean in, that social media is destroying our minds and relationships (which, let's be real, is still true). However, social media is a completely legitimate way to further your life and career. In The Other Two (a Comedy Central series streaming on HBO Max that recently released their second season), Cary Dubek (Drew Tarver), an actor, and Brooke Dubek (Helene Yorke), a former childhood dancer, are millennial siblings whose GenZ brother Chase Dreams (Case Walker), becomes an overnight viral singing sensation (a la Justin Bieber) at the wizened age of 13. The siblings are left to cope with the feeling they've been passed over and consider the impact of social media and their brother's social media based superstardom on all of their lives. The show shows that while social media is a strange reality,it can be used effectively if you have the right skills and mindset.
1.Social Media is Not Real Life
Before you can fully embrace social media in an effective way, you have to recognize that everything on social media is at least a little bit fake. But you said social media is life now. No, I said it's a necessary part of life, but it is not reality. Everyone is putting their best foot forward. At the end of season one, Chase performs live and (turns out) can't sing. Streeter (Ken Marino), Chase's manager, explains that Chase is someone who needs, "a lot of smoke and a lot of mirrors." However, when Chase returns season two to continue his musical career, his branding team posts specific content to keep him remembered without him ever having to sing. Somehow, he is still lauded as a phenomenal singer. A 2017 study backs this up by saying "kids can be extraordinarily influenced by these person to person communications." With the understanding that everything online is at least a little fake, you're able to use social media rather than be a product of it. It is just a way to put your best foot forward. Think of it like an interview that you're inviting a bunch of random people to see for some reason!
2. Having Your Name Out There Will Only Help
In the middle of a staged sex scene rehearsal in an acting class, Cary's friend Curtis (Brandon Scott Jones) mentions that a part he is auditioning for won't consider anyone "unless you have ten thousand followers." This satirized line is not too far from the truth. Many employers, especially in the entertainment, field greatly consider the internet reach you have when deciding whether or not to hire you. If people know you, it's more likely they will support you at events, making you a far more compelling candidate. The same applies for non-entertainment jobs. If you applied for a job at a company that had no website or information, wouldn't you be skeptical. A positive and influential presence on social media is a benefit in the modern day. While you don't need it to be successful, it's an easy thing to pad your resume with. That being said, the odds of having your social media at a "hire me now" level is not necessarily something that would immediately happen. Cary spends an episode hanging out with the "Insta-gays", a group of very famous Instagram influencers, desperate to get a picture to boost his follower account. (It goes about as well as you would imagine). That being said, it doesn't hurt to try!
3.Brand Yourself but Don't Get Stuck in Your Brand
If you're diving into social media with a purpose, it is really important to brand yourself. Chase is constantly branding and rebranding himself: from the school boy crush to the bad boy to the boy with blonde hair (yep). The focus and understanding on who he is and the message he is sending out makes it easier for him to create a follower base. However, let your brand come from you. When Brooke starts season two, she is determined to make it as a music manager and a music manager alone. She spends countless hours scrolling TikTok desperate to find the next big thing she can represent (another shout out of how you can get discovered through social media). In fighting to brand herself as a music manager, she refuses to represent her mom, Pat Dubek (Molly Shannon), who, due to Chase's success, has her own show. Don't get so stuck in your brand that you refuse to take good opportunities. Your brand, really, is just an online version of you. You make it. It doesn't make you. When Brooke finally agrees to work with her mom it leads her to winning a spot on the 30 under 30 list. So basically, brand yourself but don't brand yourself. Incredibly clear? Amazing!
4.Ride the Wave
"Chase is your wave," Brooke says to Cary when he laments that he thinks he missed his wave. Social media is just that sort of wave. Why would you resist a potential opportunity just because it came from Twitter. Pat Dubek, Chase's mom, rides the wave of Chase's celebrity to write her own children's books, start a jewelry line, and host her own very successful talk show. If she had been resistant or said no to the moment provided by Chase's social media celebrity, she never would have achieved these things that make her happy. If social media can help you reach your goals, why would you resist it?
Social media is really such a weird thing. SO WEIRD. If you are still incredibly anti-social after reading all of this: I support you. You will be wildly successful and have an amazing happy life. For those of you that are ready to lean into social media culture: welcome. We have snacks.
