Social Media: Friend or Foe?

We think of social media as a way to connect with our friends, loved ones, and community. But it doesn’t always feel that way, does it?

Think of this morning. As soon as the alarm goes off, you scrolled through the immediate notifications, your emails, and go onto your favourite social media apps. Then you looped mindlessly back to emails, hit refresh and start the loop all over again.

It’s as though you’ve woken in a trance with your mobile device and all of your notifications are starting your brain’s day off like it’s a marble in a pinball machine.

While getting ready for the day, chances are your phone is sitting by the sink and you checked it multiple times to see if you’ve missed anything.

You’re replying to client emails, responding to a comment on Facebook and thinking of something valuable to say on LinkedIn.

Your device is controlling you, not the other way around.

You say it’s something you need to do for your job, your business or life, but the truth is you’ve lost control. You’re rationalizing like someone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol. While this co-depenency might not seem extreme to you, it’s a dependency you need to be aware of.

It’s zapping your time, your creativity, and the relationships with people who show up for you in real life.

Today’s marketers teach you how to disrupt the scroll. Create content that pops so you stop the scroll and get people to pay attention to what you’re saying.

Is that what it’s all about? Manipulating screens for attention?

What about relationships?

What about prioritization and productivity?

What about your ability to focus?

What about creativity?

Social media is a vehicle for sharing valuable content and building relationships. It’s not supposed to be something you spend every minute on.

It’s been almost two years since I wrote about planning and productivity hacks and I believe our addiction to screens is getting worse, not better.

Our courage behind a keyboard is frightening. People say things online that they’d never say to someone’s face, sometimes because they’re mean, mostly because they’re vying for the most likes. The fact that people walk down the street staring at their phones instead of making eye contact with each other is zapping every ounce of empathy we have from our being. We’re missing the beauty of life and of each other.

Leave your phone in the other room when you get up in the morning. Put your phone in your purse when you’re out for dinner or walking around.

Pick up a notepad and a pen and plan out your marketing. Schedule blocks of time to check social media, and then, show up with purpose. Go out to a live event and sit with real people. Look them in the eyes and have meaningful conversations. Allow yourself to connect with others instead of looking for a place to connect your phone because your battery is dying.

You’re not going to get to the end of your life and wish you’d spent more time on Facebook.