Haters are the people that take time out of their day to make comments on everyone’s social media accounts in hopes of making that person feel worse about what they produce. But sometimes, haters can be our biggest and best motivators. Here’s how to deal with negativity and hate as a content creator.
A good place to start this conversation is by asking why people leave such negative and hateful comments on other people’s content. The honest answer is nobody knows. But it is definitely a sign you’re growing as a content creator. As they say “when it is going good for you, evil will most likely follow”. Plus, we all know that misery loves company.
All these people want to do is bring others down – they want you to feel insecure and upset. And because of the anonymity social media provides, they feel secure to comment what they want without thinking how those comments can affect others.
While the simplest advice is to ignore those comments and shake them off, we know that can be hard. Besides, you have to deal with them without compromising your brand and what you stand for.
Remember that everyone is entitled to their opinion. As a content creator, you will build a community and a fanbase of people who followed you because they found value in your content. That reason alone should keep you motivated. However, your content will also bring people who want to rain on your parade. These people will run your comment section rampant with a lot of negativities and falseness about your content and possibly even you. And so, it doesn’t matter where you are in your creator journey, expect the negativity. After all, growing your social media without getting any hate or negativity is unheard of.
With that being said, focus more on the positive comments rather than the negative and your mental health & career will be better off.
One of the best ways to deal with negativity and hate is by simply ignoring it. Do not give any power to these people by responding to their comments. By ignoring them you prove to them that you don’t care enough about what they don’t like and if they don’t like it, they can go to someone else’s page. Ignoring them is sending a powerful enough message to your haters that you won’t tolerate their comments because they aren’t worth the time and your positive energy.
However, we understand that sometimes you will feel like addressing certain comments. And here’s the thing about that – if you’ll address comments and vent to your community about the hate you’re receiving. Always, do so in a professional manner and keep the conversation friendly. By doing this, you avoid further conflict and are simultaneously creating a safe space for your community to vent and share.
On any social media platform, you have control regarding your profile and community. You are allowed to block anyone who might leave a hateful or negative comment and you can also delete such comment. By using both these features you are not only able to control your mental health, but you are also able to provide your community with a positive and safe space in the comments section.
Deleting and blocking haters, will send a message that you want nothing to do with their attitude loud and clear.
On Instagram, you can also add filters to your comment section, so that comments containing a specific word will be automatically hidden.
It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, what you bring to the table, or how happy you make people; there will always be someone that will find a reason as to why they don’t like you. Take one of the biggest stars of his generation, Michael Jackson. He had millions of people around the world who adored and loved him for his musical genius and who he was as a person. Yet, he still dealt with some of the biggest hate any famous person could deal with and more.
Getting that much hate for as big of a star he was and still is, should be an eye-opener to every artist and creator out there. This shows that no matter the status of your following, people will still try to tear you down. So, don’t take those negative comments you see online personally. They are a from a random person whose words can’t go any further past a computer screen unless you allow them to. And let’s be honest, if they weren’t saying this to you then they would be saying it to someone else just hoping that someone will take the bait.
Don’t be a fish on the hook, just keep swimming with the rest of the world and continue to do what you are passionate about. Use their hate as a motivation to keep going because the more they hate, the more views they still end up giving you. They only end up doing you a favor in the end. Stay positive and know you’re worthy, both as a person and as a creative.
