The Unfair Pressure On Performers of Having to Grow Social Media Followings to Land Gigs

Yesterday, I posted an article that discussed the Alice Ripley allegations and, more importantly, tried to lay out possible solutions that would prevent these issues in the future.

However, there was another aspect I should have presented in that piece which is why I want to talk about it, at length, today. And that is the unfair systemic pressure that this industry puts in performers to cultivate a social media presence in order to look more attractive for castings.

It’s absolutely no secret how much social media presence matters when it comes to landing gigs. Almost every industry expert and casting website discusses this topic. Having an active and strategic social media identity, along with large followings, can make the difference between who gets a certain role and who doesn’t.

In fact, casting director Benton Whitley told Backstage.com,

“Social media is so important. When an actor comes across my plate, and I’ve never heard of them, the first thing I do is Google them, for sure. I Google you, I go on Facebook and type in your name and see what I can learn about you from there. I look you up on Twitter; I look you up on Instagram. I use everything because I need to learn everything about you…. [Social media] is what sells you. I see you way more online than I ever see you in person so that online presence is so important [today].”

I’ve also seen it firsthand. I once was involved in the casting of a regional professional production and during the process, it came down to two female-identifying performers for the lead role. Both performers were incredibly talented and seemed perfect for the role. In the middle of discussing the candidates, one of the creative team members pulled out their phone and looked them both up on Twitter. One performer had 4,000 more followers than the other and that was the deciding factor that landed her the role - 4,000 more followers.

While big-name Broadway stars usually don’t have to worry about this, those fighting for ensemble parts know too well how having six-figure followings can give them an edge over those with five-figure ones.

And for some, cultivating their social media presence may come easily and without much effort. However, for others, it can be an added stress that performers certainly don’t need when you combine it with all the other stresses of the audition process. While some sites preach that all it takes is posting interesting and engaging content, that isn’t necessarily a solution and opens the door to more questions on what to post and how to interact with fans.

I spoke with one performer who told me about the pressure they feel to post on social media and what exactly they should be posting.

“I’m not an interesting person at all. So, it feels like with social media, I’m almost playing another role -trying to appear to be this performer living the dream in NYC, when really it’s not as fantastical as it seems.”

They continued,

“I’ve been told by my agent and most casting professionals that I need to be posting something every day on social media. Most of them recommended at least 5-10 times. So there are days where I find myself struggling to figure out what to post. I’m not married, I don’t have kids or pets, and I don’t travel or eat out much. So, what can I post on a regular basis that would make me seem interesting or engaging?”

This leads me to my next point which is the added stress performers feel posting and interacting on social media. Given the times we’re living in, and how quickly a post can go viral for good and bad reasons, performers I spoke to told me they often either agonize over whether or not to post opinions on certain issues or second guess their postings after they’ve been published.

“It’s as if you have to portray yourself as neutral on everything,” one performer said to me. “And the problem with that is often your followers want you to have an opinion and take a hard stance, but if I do that, I could lose hundreds or even thousands of followers. In the end, I have to ask myself, is it worth it?”

And then there are the pressures of how to interact with fans. We’ve seen over the past week how Alice Ripley’s online interactions with her teenage fans crossed lines of appropriateness and caused a variety of problems. Those interactions occurred over a decade ago. In 2021, with social media engagement at an all-time high, the way performers interact with fans is more scrutinized than ever.

I’ve spoken to performers who told me they agonize whether or not to “like” a post or follow someone because they’re not sure if it might be misinterpreted. One told me that they’re “tagged” in something every day but they’re not sure how many they should respond to, if they should leave a comment, or simply “like” it. Some told me they often delete posts that don’t get a high number of reactions because that might look bad. Then there is the panic some have felt when they lose followers and struggle to try to find ways to get them back.

Finally, there is the dark side of all this and performers having to deal with inappropriate and even frightening interactions with fans who have stepped over the line. I’ve seen many screenshots of comments, DM’s, emails sent to these performers that would make your stomach turn. Yes, they can block and report these people on social media, but when you’re performing at the same venue for seven days a week, these people know where you are at specific times of the day and that’s been a fear on the minds of some of the people I spoke with.

That’s why in my piece yesterday, I emphasized that boundaries for these performers on social media are so important to make known. This way fans know what lines not to cross – obvious or not.

Now all of this is not to say that every performer hates social media or interacting with fans on it. I’ve spoken to many performers who enjoy daily engagement with their followers safely and successfully used it for networking while building their profiles. And that’s fantastic, I want a positive online environment for everyone. I just wish performers who suffer from the stresses of social media, didn’t feel forced to engage in it because industry experts are telling them that their jobs can depend on it.

But performers today are being told more and more that their talent isn’t necessarily enough anymore, they have to be a “brand”. And with social media only growing and becoming more accessible, the industry’s emphasis on this isn’t going to change anytime soon.

So, my wish is, that for all of us, to just keep these thoughts in our minds when we follow our favorite performers on social media. Please put yourself in their shoes and don’t demand certain types of interaction from them. An don’t set too-high bars of expectations of what they should engage with and what they don’t.