How should I deal with social media again?

Fujimoto: Among social media platforms, I like Twitter and check it often. Ordinary people's tweets can be really interesting, right? As a copywriter, I suppose you could call me a "word professional," but there are people who write far more interesting things than I do and get retweeted way more. Seeing that can get me down sometimes (laughs). Copywriting and tweeting have different purposes and natures, so comparing them is pretty unfair. But both aim to "become a topic and spread," right? That makes me wonder in a place like this: where exactly is the difference between pro and amateur?

Hirota: I think social media is wonderful precisely because it places everything on the same level, in a way that's almost excessively flat. At the same time, that makes it harsh. To put it another way, social media has no clear boundary between professional and amateur—it's essentially "everyone is an amateur." Someone who "says clever things" is just that – a clever talker. You have to separate that from money matters. I don't think they can fundamentally be a pro, meaning someone who makes money there. The idea is: earn your money on the other page, the one linked by that URL.

Fujimoto: I see. "Everyone's an amateur" is really clear! Thinking about it that way makes sense and is a bit of a relief (laughs). Honestly, when I sense a sales pitch, I don't really want to share or retweet.

Hirota: If you adopt an attitude like, "I'm a pro, so my tweets have value, right? Pay to follow me," people will leave in a flash. Building reputation and making money are similar, but slightly different. I think that's why professionals can't thrive in closed social spaces. It might be a stretch to call it the difference between paid media and earned media.

Yagi: Personally, I find it interesting that in an era where anyone can easily create videos or designs, a video a pro spent hours making gets compared side-by-side with an amateur's post. It's great that we live in a time where anyone can create and share content. But precisely because you're a pro, if you don't properly study the specialized aspects to maintain quality and create a clear difference, you have no value. This is a reminder to myself too... hmm.

Fujimoto: Unlike design, anyone can use words, so it's even tougher. If something just goes viral, it's not much different from an amateur's work. I believe a professional's job is to control not just the spread, but what sticks in people's minds afterward.

Yagi: This ties back to something we discussed earlier with Hirota-san. It's not necessarily true that content that gets shared is good content. Sometimes really beautiful or excellent things surprisingly don't get shared. So, I think it's crucial for professionals not to be easily swayed by the number of "likes," but to continue aiming purely for creating good content, just as before, or even more so.

Hirota: I feel there's a bit too much emphasis on word-of-mouth right now. Word-of-mouth is ultimately a means, not an end, right? So, I don't think everything needs to be shared by word-of-mouth. There are plenty of things that are meant to be delivered quietly, just to someone's heart, and the value of those things hasn't disappeared.

This marks the end of "SHARED VISION's Bonus." Thank you for reading. Until we meet again.