C-Span is becoming like the rest of us: Hyper-tethered to the ongoing metrics of social media. Politico reports how it is re-thinking much of how it presents content to boost those metrics.
Some of the pressure has come as a result of cord-cutting. Revenue from cable is less. In addition, in this attention economy C-Span has to keep figuring out how to get, hold onto, and grow the number of eyeballs. What attracts those eyeballs to C-Span is essentially the same of what attracts eyeballs to social networks such as Twitter.
What we can say to the leaders and management at C-Span is: Welcome to the game. It's one of escalating competition. Always there is a fresh presence which sucks up so much of the social media oxygen. If that occurs in one of our niches that could mean our metrics take a hit. If that happens not only can our business be affected negatively. Our confidence can also go south.
Keeping out numbers up has been added to the must-dos for success. Yes, I check them too often. I also check how my colleagues are making out. I worry about any dip (which is usually temporary) too much. And I rejoice too wildly about a surge.
There's no ambiguity. For professionals, not only teens, social media impacts our mental health. That's the way it is. Unlikely that will change.
Connect with Editor-in-Chief Jane Genova at janegenova374@gmail.com.