I was skeptical at first, but it took about five minutes of episode one for me to fall in love with the hit show, This is Us.
I sit cross-armed at first – promising myself I’ll keep it together. And about midway through, the inevitable lip quiver begins. I’m a softy for family drama.
But my addiction to good TV is not the point of this email. There’s something that happens in each episode that makes my blood boil.
It’s This.
Do you see it? That not so subtle subliminal message telling me this is the moment to share. WHAT?!?! That’s not how it’s supposed to work. It’s an urge. An emotion. We share when we feel it’s the moment, not when we’re told it’s the moment.
Ugh.
It would be like if we were attending a wedding, and the bride and groom are in the middle of their first dance when they suddenly break into an awesome 50’s jive…or something. As their legs are flailing and he’s tossing her around, they both stop and say, “This is the time to share to your Facebook feed!”
Noooooo!
See how silly that sounds?
It simply can’t be forced, and I believe actually takes away from the ‘moment’ we are trying to experience.
So stop it, ABC! Stop it, This Is Us! Stop telling me what is ‘a sharable moment’ and let me experience the moment and share because I’m moved to do so.
I think we have to be careful with this in the business world too. Let’s not try too hard to force a moment. Instead, let’s invoke an emotion from our audience based on the quality of the content we create. The minute our audience feels we are creating something for its viral potential, then it becomes about us, not about them.
Make sense?
I hope you continue to enjoy the show, cry like a baby (as I do), and roll your eyes each time you see this graphic come up.
What do you think? We’ll post this on our social sites and I’d love to hear your thoughts. There’s always a chance I could be wrong. 🙂
Have a great week,
Corey
