Sara Landry is an intoxicating powerhouse, a self-taught producer, audio engineer, and DJ known for her dark and driving atmospheric techno. Her rising popularity sees no end as fans come out in drones to her performances. This past RE/FORM party Sara Landry literally packed the room she played in with avid fans. She graciously guest posts for 6AM on her thoughts about social media and it’s affects on society, producers, and fans alike.
Guest Post from Sara Landry, techno DJ and producer:
I’m quite sure that, in the year of “Our Lord 2022”, I don’t need to explain to anyone what a double edged sword social media platforms have become. No one can deny that social media has changed the world in the 15+ years since its inception, and now, after many years (and a few “illegal” data leaks), we are forced to ask ourselves if social media has actually changed the world for the better. Is the pursuit of “engagement” worth the stress and damage that social media causes?
Let’s face it: social media is, at its core, a marketing and psyops tool. Was that the initial intention? Probably a little bit. Is that the result? Absolutely yes. Anyone with a Netflix account who’s seen the documentary “The Social Dilemma” knows this to be true: social media apps and algorithms are deliberately designed to hook the user, to encourage infinite scroll, and to only show you more of the content that results in you spending the most possible time (and therefore seeing the most ads) on the apps. Of course, it all used to be harmless fun, a way to keep up with friends and kill time while waiting for a flight or a doctor’s appointment. Now, though, we are addicted to the infinite scroll. We are addicted to the feelings of validation we get from engagement and to the feeling of being a part of the group who’s in on the joke. This addiction, this desire for the instant hit of dopamine that is validation and the associated desire to always stay on-trend and up-to-date has shortened our attention spans and subsequently fostered an environment that has devalued art, warped our perceptions of ourselves, and in many cases, increased our anxiety.
Photo Credit: Julian Bajsel @jbajsel
As any artist will tell you, it’s nearly impossible to market yourself in the modern world without having a social media presence. Social media plays an integral role in fan engagement, marketing for shows, and sharing upcoming projects, but as time has passed, the attention span of the general public has gotten shorter and shorter- which in turn results in artists having to do more on social media to stay relevant and keep their fan bases “engaged.” In the past, any given track or release might be good for a few months of promotion, but now that we are all functionally goldfish, things only feel fresh for a fraction of that time (about a week unless it goes viral), with microtrends exploding and fizzing out quickly (see: the entirety of TikTok). An artist used to be able to put out 2-3 releases a year and have that feel more than adequate (and even 2-3 releases is a lot of work), but now it feels like you have to drop something once a month to even stay relevant enough to be able to tour.
Techno & TikTok: A Match Made in Heaven or Hell?
The expected increase in musical output isn’t sustainable on any sort of touring schedule either, as both touring and creation are very energetically draining activities that require real rest to “recharge” from. For me, a track takes around 10 hours (which I’ve been told is fast), so a 4 track EP is about 40 hours of work if I’m fully “recharged” and focused (50 if I’m a little less s