Alexandra Sutton

There are countless arguments for and against social media. It's a great way to keep in touch, but it makes us a bit rubbish at talking. It gives us a free, democratic platform from which we can voice our opinions, but what if those opinions are intolerant, offensive, even illegal? Does it contribute to an already image-obsessed society, or does it encourage a positive self-confidence exhibited by the thousands of people who tag their photos with #shamelessselfie? It's a digital-age old argument, but for now I'm particularly interested in the role social media plays in promotion, or self-promotion to be exact.

First things first, I should probably address the fact that I am writing on a blog that carries my name, and later I'll share this on a public Twitter account, and probably on Facebook for good measure. I use the internet to promote what I write, even who I am - though I haven't quite 'branded' myself across the internet yet, I am in my own way contributing to this culture of promotion. In all honesty, it makes me feel a bit weird. Lots of blogs come with a caveat - 'this blog is more of a self-preservation thing, I write for myself, I shun the social media spotlight' etc etc, but even with those intentions, the blogoshpere is a public place, and by writing a blog, you are putting yourself out there. I am sat on a fence constructed of high horses when it comes to this dilemma - I like it when people read what I write, but I feel a bit grubby asking people to do so. And, in today's technological climate, how else can you make yourself heard?

Most, if not all aspiring authors, journalists, designers and musicians have social media accounts on which they are required to self-promote. Hell, even the successful ones do. It's particularly telling when one reads the tweets of well-received debut novelists as they attempts to do the whole media promotion thing for the first time - they are often coy and self-deprecating, because let's face it, this media courting lark is all bit mad. That's probably a bit harsh, but I'm starting to think that people do it because it's just necessary nowadays. The brand rules all - we don't just want to know about a product, but about the whole identity behind it. The curation of the online personality is one of the most unsettling things about social media - carefully composed Tweets and insta-snaps create a masterful gallery of ME or YOU, and anyone, neigh everyone, is invited. It's compulsive viewing, and I alternate between being jealous of the lifestyles of others, and jealous of their mastery of filtering. To really sell yourself of on the internet, you have to be dominant, brazen and, to use the oft-dredged up hashtag, you have to be shameless.

Now, I'm not necessarily saying that this is a bad thing, even if it does go through me like nails down a chalkboard. In many ways it's just an online version of elbowing your way into conversations between important types at wine and cheese events - it's not a new concept. However, what I find fundamentally odd is the tension between this idea of confident self-promotion and the deep-seated sense of guilt that seems to go with it. #sorrynotsorry and #shamelessselfie are screamingly inane phrases - surely if you genuinely weren't sorry, or your really were shameless, there'd be no need to broadcast it. I feel like screaming IS IT ME from the rooftops, then tweeting about it later. Or maybe just tweeting it.

So instead I write a blog on my blog to share with all my imaginary internet friends. Ah it's all so bloody weird.