SOCIAL MEDIA MANIFESTO.
I FEEL LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT ONLY KILLING WHATEVER TYPE OF THINGS. IT ALSO FEELS LIKE IT`S ABOUT TO KILL ITSELF. IT FEELS LIKE RIDING AN ALMOST DEAD HORSE. LET ME EXPLAIN YOU WHY..GE
manifesto-pic

FOR YEARS I USED AN OLD FASHIONED IPHONE 4. I LIKED IT. IT WAS SMALL, VERY WELL DESIGNED, IT LOOKED GOOD. IT WAS HANDY, FITTED INTO POCKETS WITHOUT FEELING LIKE I WOULD CARRY A BRICK. I WAS ABLE TO TAKE AND RECEIVE CALLS, WAS ABLE TO WRITE MESSAGES. THE BASICS. AND I WAS EVEN ABLE TO GET CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET, MEANING TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO ACCESS THE KNOWLEDGE OF MANKIND WITHIN SOME FEW FINGERTIPS. WOW! IMAGINE THIS 50 YEARS AGO, PEOPLE WOULD HAVE TAKEN YOU TO THE HOSPITAL TO SEE WHAT´S WRONG WITH YOU WHEN YOU TELL THEM THAT YOU CAN DO ALL THIS WITH THIS LITTLE DEVICE ON YOUR POCKET ONLY. MY GOOD OLD IPHONE 4. I WAS HAPPY WITH IT.

AND YES, THERE WAS THIS BIG PART CALLED "SOCIAL MEDIA" THAT TURNED OUR TO BE A BIG THING EVER SINCE ALMOST EVERYBODY STARTED TO USE THESE LITTLE COMPUTERS WITH TOUCHSCREEN ON THE RUN.

FINALLY, HOWEVER, I WAS FORCED TO BUY A NEW SMARTPHONE. SIMPLY BECAUSE COMPANIES LIKE APPLE AND ALL THOSE APPLICATION DEVELOPING COMPANIES LIKE FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE, TWITTER AND SO ON (WHO GAIN THEIR ASTRONOMICAL PROFITS BY SERVING A TECHNICAL PLATFORM ONLY WHILE IT`S US SHEEPS TO DELIVER CONTENT ON WHICH THEY BUILD THEIR CONCEPT OF CHARGING MONEY FOR ADVERTISEMENTS, PLACED UPON OUR PICTURES, VIDEOS AND POSTINGS) DECIDED THAT IT WAS ABOUT TIME FOR ALEX TO SPEND SOME MONEY ON A NEW PHONE AFTER SO MANY YEARS, EVEN THOUGH HE THOUGHT THAT IT`S BY FAR NOT TIME TO DO SO. BUT LET`S FORCE HIM BY STOPPING SUPPORT OF HIS OPERATING SYSTEM, DENYING UPDATES ON HIS APPS AND ALSO DEVELOPING WEBSITES AND APPS THAT DEMAND MORE AND MORE RESOURCES SO THAT HIS LITTLE COMPUTER WILL SLOW DOWN TREMENDOUSLY AND SOMETIMES EVEN GO DOWN ON ITS KNEES. AND ALL THIS DESPITE THE FACT THAT MY OLD, WORN OUR IPHONE 4 WAS STILL DOING OK IN TERMS OF HARDWARE. I CAN STILL REMEMBER VIEWS AND COMMENTS BY PEOPLE I MET AND EVEN ALMOST ALL MY FRIENDS LOOKING AT ME AS BEING AN DINOSAUR, TELLING ME "MAN, THIS IS SO OLD, GO AND GET A NEW ONE…", AND I ALWAYS REPLIED "WHY? IT´S STILL WORKING, WHY SHOULD I BUY A NEW ONE?", AND ALL THEY SAID WAS "BECAUSE IT`S OLD, GO WITH THE FLOW, TAKE THE STEP INTO THE FUTURE…". CRAZY.


ANYWAY, AS I SAID, FINALLY I WAS FORCED TO BUY A NEW ONE. MY OLD BELOVED IPHONE 4 SIMPLY DIDN´T ALLOW THINGS ANYMORE I NEEDED TO DO WITH THE PHONE. APPS WERE STARTING TO CRASH EVEN THOUGH THEY WORKED FINE ONLY MONTHS AGO AND EVEN THOUGH I DIDN`T CHANGE ANYTHING (AS I WASN`T ABLE TO UPDATE ANYTHING ANYMORE) AND SO ON. WHY? WHAT HAPPENED SUDDENLY? WELL, I DON`T KNOW. SO I WENT AND BOUGHT A NEW ONE. SO FAR SO GOOD. AND YES, EVERYTHING BECAME FASTER, LOOKED MORE UPTODATE AND FANCY, NEW FEATURES THAT CAN EASE YOUR DAILY LIFE. OK. SO FAR SO GOOD. IF YOU`RE OK TO LET YOUR PHONE TAKE CONTROL ABOUT YOU MORE AND MORE WITH EVERY NEW UPDATE, EVERY NEW VERSION, ENJOY IT. I´M NOT THAT TYPE OF GUY. DON`T GET ME WRONG, IT´S NOT THAT TYPE OF DISCUSSION I WANT TO START HERE. EVERYBODY CAN DECIDE ON HIS OWN OF COURSE. AND IT`S A NICE THING, SO IF YOU WANT TO GO THAT WAY, GO AHEAD, I WILL NOT BLAME YOU FOR THAT. THAT`S NOT MY POINT. I´VE GOT ANOTHER ONE.


MY EYES OPENED A LOT WHEN I INSTALLED THE LATEST VERSIONS OF APPS I USED TO HAVE ON MY OLD TELEPHONE. ONE OF THEM WAS FACEBOOK, AND NOW, WITH MY NEW PHONE AND THE LATEST VERSIONS I HAD TO INSTALL THREE APPS FOR FACEBOOK. FACEBOOK ITSELF, THE FACEBOOK PAGES APP AND THE FACEBOOK MESSENGER. A FEW DAYS LATER I REALIZED THAT I ONLY USE THE PAGES APP AND THE MESSENGER. IT SIMPLY DOESN`T MAKE ANY SENSE ANYMORE TO OPEN THE BASIC FACEBOOK APP SIMPLY BECAUSE EVERYTHING I NEED TO DO ON THAT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM IS MANAGED BY "PAGES" AND THE "MESSENGER". AND LIKE MOST OF US I WAS GETTING ANNOYED BY THE "TIMELINE", SIMPLY 99,9 % OF INFORMATION TOTALLY OUT OF NEED AND JUST TIME CONSUMING AND USELESS. SO WHY SHOULD I STILL OPEN IT? AND HOW DOES AN AVERAGE CONSUMER FEEL ABOUT THAT COMPARED TO A MUSICSCENE ACTIVIST LIKE ME, WHO OF COURSE HAS A DIFFERENT AND PROBABLY MORE INTERESTED AND MONITORING VIEW ON ALL FORMS OF NEWS CHANNELING AND WAYS OF MARKETING AND PROMOTION. IF EVEN ME, MYSELF AND I WAS ABOUT TO QUIT SCROLLING THROUGH THOSE TIMELINES, PROBABLY A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL DO THE SAME. AND I STARTED TO THINK. I STARTED TO RE-THINK.


HOW MANY PEOPLE BESIDE ME MAYBE FEEL THE SAME? HOW MANY PEOPLE DON`T REALLY FOLLOW ANYMORE? HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE PISSED ABOUT ALL THIS STUPID, TIMEWASTING NONSENSE VIDEOS AND PICS. THIS HATING, BLAMING, FAKE SPREADING, UNFILTERED AND UNREFLECTED OPINION? OR COUNTLESS ATTEMPTS TO SELL THINGS, TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT ONLY THE VERY OWN SHIT IS THE SHIT. THE FINAL QUESTION WAS OBVIOUS.




DOES IT STILL MAKE SENSE TO USE FACEBOOK AND CO. TO REACH PEOPLE IN A HONEST AND MEANINGFUL WAY?

I CONFESS, BEING AN ARTIST THESE DAYS MEANS YOU HAVE TO PLAY THE GAME. AND I DID THAT FOR YEARS, AND DON`T GET ME WRONG, I KNOW I HAVE TO KEEP ON DOING IT. BUT I CAN SET MY OWN RULES HOW TO DO IT. IF THERE IS NOTHING TO SAY OR JUST FOR THE SAKE OF SAYING SOMETHING, SIMPLY DON`T SPREAD ANYTHING. IF THERE IS SOMETHING TO SAY, I`LL DO THAT. IN CASE I FIND SATISFACTION IN DOING A NEW VIDEO, I WILL SHARE IT. IN CASE THERE IS SOME NEW MUSIC, I WOULD BE HAPPY IF YOU LISTEN TO IT. BUT NOT THAT FREQUENTLY ANYMORE. THERE WILL MAYBE BE WEEKS TO POST REAL NEWS LIKE THREE TIMES A WEEK. BUT THERE MIGHT BE TIMES YOU WON`T HEAR ANYTHING FROM MY SIDE, EVEN THOUGH ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERTS SAY "DO IT ON A REGULAR BASE, KEEP THE CONNECTION, SEE IT AS A PART OF YOUR DAILY LIFE, EXPRESS YOURSELF... BLABLABLA. THERE ARE THE ONES WHO TELL YOU THAT THIS IS THE FUTURE, THAT YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO ADAPT, THAT I SHOULD FORGET HOW IT WAS YEARS BACK THEN, BECAUSE IT`S OVER. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? MAYBE THEY ARE ALL RIGHT. MAYBE. MAYBE NOT. BUT IT DOESN`T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT THING FOR ME PERSONALLY. FOR ME AS HUMAN, AS AN ARTIST STILL REMEMBERING THE TIME WHEN NEWS HAVE BEEN SPREADED BY FLYERS, PRINTED MAGAZINES, IN PHYSICAL RECORDSTORES, FROM MOUTH TO MOUTH. FROM ONE TO EACH OTHER. I KNOW IT`S OVER. BUT I CAN STILL LOVE REMEMBERING IT, RIGHT?


I CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT MANY PEOPLE OBVIOUSLY FEEL THE SAME WAY, I JUST HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE FIGURES. VIEWS, LIKES, SHARES. WE ALL LOOSE INTEREST ON THIS BECAUSE IT INCREASED INFLATIONALLY. AND IT`S ALL WORTH NOTHING APART FROM MAYBE A GOOD FEELING TRIGGERED BY THE COMMON OPINION THAT THIS SET OF CRITERIA IS THE ONE AND ONLY TO GO FOR. BULLSHIT. I CAN NOT SPEAK FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD, I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR MYSELF, BUT FOR ME NOTHING BEATS THE FEELING OF DOING THE FINAL RECORDING OF A NEW TRACK IN THE STUDIO, OF FORMING RELEASES WITH GREAT MUSIC THAT TELL A STORY ON MY BABY CREDO, OF FINISHING A COUPLE OF HOURS DJ-SET THAT CONNECTED ME TO THE CROWD IN FRONT OF ME. NO MATTER IF IT`S 10 , 100, 1.000 OR 10.000. NOTHING CAN MATCH THIS. NO PICTURE. NO VIDEO. NO COMMENT. NO VIRTUAL SHARE. NOTHING. BECAUSE ALL THESE VIRTUAL THINGS FADE AWAY LIKE TEARS IN THE RAIN, WHILE REAL SHARED MOMENTS STAY WITH YOU FOREVER. THIS IS HOW OUR MIND PLAYS TRICKS ON US. AND I LOVE THE FACT THAT OBVIOUSLY WE ALL KNOW THAT ALREADY DEEP INSIDE OF US.




I CAN STILL REMEMBER THE DAY WHEN I BOUGHT MY FIRST EYE Q RECORD. IT WAS AT RECORDSTORE IN MUNICH IN THE VERY, VERY EARLY NINETIES. ENERGY 52`S MASTERPIECE "CAFE DEL MAR". THE FEELING I HAD WHEN I PUT ON THE NEEDLE WHEN CHECKING IT OUT IN THE STORE. THE GOOSEBUMPS I HAD A SECOND LATER. THE EXCITEMENT TO KNOW THAT IN A COUPLE OF MOMENTS THIS PIECE OF PLASTIC WOULD BE MINE ONCE I BOUGHT IT. BEING A PART OF MY RECORD COLLECTION. FOREVER.



BUT I CAN`T REMEMBER MY FIRST FACEBOOK POSTING OR PICTURE I SHARED. IS THIS FAMILIAR TO YOU?

I FEEL TIRED. I FEEL LIKE RUNNING IN CIRCLES. I FEEL LIKE I´M OUT OF FOCUS. I FEEL THAT ONLY ONE RELEASE THIS YEAR SO FAR UNDER MY VERY OWN NAME WITH FRESH, NEWLY PRODUCED MUSIC IS TOO LESS FOR GAINING INNER PEACE AND A FEELING OF ARTISTIC SATISFACTION. I FEEL IT WAS WRONG TO BE DISTRACTED FROM THIS CREATIVE PROCESS BY SPENDING TIME ON NEW IDEAS BEING BROUGHT TO ME IN TERMS OF HOW TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE TO THE VIRTUAL SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD. ONLY BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE BEHAVE LIKE IT`S THE REAL WORLD IT DOESN`T MAKE IT ANY MORE REAL AT ALL. AND I FEEL THAT I NEED TO CHANGE THIS. I HONESTLY ADMIT, IT WAS WRONG TO SACRIFICE SO MUCH TIME ON CREATING CONTENT ON ALL THOSE CHANNELS JUST FOR THE SAKE OF BEING VISIBLE. THE BETTER GOAL, FOR ME AS AN MUSICIAN IS TO BECOME MORE AUDIBLE.


THIS WAS A LONG TEXT FOR YOU TO READ. I KNOW. AS A LITLLE "THANK YOU" HERE IS A FREE TRACK FOR YOU NOW AS YOU HAVE READ THROUGH UNTIL THE VERY END. I HOPE YOU LIKE IT. AND EVEN THOUGH THERE WILL OF COURSE BE NEWS ON FACEBOOK ETC. ABOUT CREDO AND MYSELF IN THE FUTURE, I`D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER HERE VIA THE FORM BELOW. BECAUSE THIS IS A MORE PERSONAL WAY TO STAY CONNECTED.