And Now for My Next Trick

The state of social media, and my one month of posting on Tiktok

My first foray in the worlds of social media began from a desperate need to know more. Growing up in a small town, I had great friends, but the contents of magazines gave me glimpses into other spaces, and I knew there was so much more out there to experience. I first started in the early 2000s, places like MySpace, Friendster, and LiveJournal ( which, one of my LJs still exists from my early 20s, it’s hysterically dramatic). After that, Facebook and Twitter, and eventually Instagram, and things have basically been the same. These platforms were (heavy past tense!) incredible, and allowed me to do many amazing things in my life, and meet such incredible people. Hell, The Fox Is Black Facebook page still has 71k followers! Anyhow, we’re now at this point where we all want to connect in the ways we used to yet these platforms have been twisted, corrupted, and deformed by capitalism. So what do things look like?

Meta is BAD. Literally the worst company, worst platforms to be. I’m continuously shocked that people still use Facebook or Instagram, especially if you’re a creative of any kind. Artist Christophe Niemann recently posted about how Meta is going to start using everything on their platforms to train their AI models. Engagement on posts is non-existent, many people are saying the platform is dead, and they’re going to start testing unskippable video ads in feed. Their primary goal, as it’s always been, is to monetize your you. If you’re not paying for it, you’re the product.

Twitter, my poor Twitter, feels like a slow-motion car crash. I joined in April of 2007, a year after the platform started, and to this day I still think it can be a fun place. I find a lot of interesting creatives on there, and I enjoy the folks I follow and reading their random thoughts. The question is, how long can it last under Musk’s leadership? It’s hard to say, though, I know that I’ll probably go down with the ship.

Which leads us to TikTok. I talk about TikTok all the time because it reminds me of TV back in the 90s/00s. Realistically, it is my television! I do not own an actual TV, I don’t have cable, and I no longer subscribe to streaming services (save for World of Wonder, gotta’ watch Drag Race). Some of you will remember when we used to flip through channels endlessly. Searching for something interesting to watch and eventually settling in for a while till you took another lap through the 50 or so channels. TikTok is exactly that. An endless archive of serendipitous entertainment, news, and culture powered by insanely smart algorithm that quickly learns what you want to watch.

What I’ve felt like is lacking with TikTok is the type of topics that I share with The Fox Is Black. Sure, there are a few folks, but they tend to stay in their niches, like interior design or graphic design tutorials. There’s a lack of curators on the platform for the worlds of things I enjoy. Which led me to the realization that if I enjoy using the platform, and I see an opportunity to share my distinct POV, why am I not doing so?

Exactly one month ago I decided to start posting on TikTok. Every day, one to four times a day, to see what happens. A test to see if what I think is interesting works on there. I’m trying a wide range of ideas, sharing interesting artists, photographers, and branding, videos of my trips, and random photos my week. I have nothing to lose, it’s all experimentation. And the results after a month, I have to say, have been positive.

I’ve tripled my followers to a whopping 131 (lol) but the big change is seeing the growth in engagement. I was getting around 200-ish views per post and now that number is in the 700-ish range. My most successful post is a video of guys moving these incredibly heavy stones with their bare hands. The algorithm keeps resurfacing it to folks, and they keep liking and commenting. Let’s be real, I have no expectations that I will overnight have a million followers. Social is finicky, yet with TikTok, I feel like I have a chance of building an audience again like the one I used to have.

My next step is to put myself in front of the camera. Some of you may remember the Kitsune Noir Mixcast I did back in 2010, which was a proto-podcast. It was a weekly radio show where I’d play songs and spoke about why I liked them. I equate it to that, though I’d speak about design and art and culture and whatever is interesting to me that day. This to me feels like the step in really growing an audience and my little corner of TikTok.

I know that TikTok isn’t for everyone. You might be a kooky person who thinks it’s Chinese spyware (I’m more concerned with global warming than someone “stealing my data”) or that it will be banned in the U.S. (it won’t, the government has no proof of any of their claims and ByteDance will sue the hell out of the government). When I use the app, I learn the most amazing recipes for food and drinks, learn about world events and politics, watch beautiful pieces of video art, or enjoy the most insane things. No other platform gives me the range of ideas that I truly want. Maybe you want to join me in trying something else for a change?

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The Trend Report™

by my partner, Kyle Raymond Fitzpatrick, is a sharp and insightful look at all the things going on in the world, arriving every Sunday to your inbox. Highly recommended, obviously.