Facebook was founded in 2004, and became popular among children and adolescents a few years later. My relationship with Facebook began, not by choice, in 2011 for the purpose of promoting myself as a Realtor.
Although I can’t say that my presence on social media improved my business in any significant way, I realized that social media is an undeniable force in modern society. From giving us new ways to come together and stay connected to the world around us, to providing an outlet for expression. Social media has fundamentally changed the way we initiate, build and maintain our relationships.
Nearly 50% of the world’s population uses social media daily, and that number is only expected to grow. Social media is, and will remain, a crucial way for marketers to reach their audiences.
However, it’s difficult to ignore the potential negatives.
Being constantly connected reduces our quality of life, and can potentially harm us. Doing so interrupts our work, our time with friends and family, and even the time we should be using to rest.
Social media can also expose us to online bullying or spark feelings of inadequacy if we feel our lives don’t match what we see in our timelines. The urge, and sometimes pressure, to share the best of our lives online and keep tabs on everyone else can prevent us from enjoying life in real time.
I will be more conscious about when and how I use social media from this point on. Although I had enriching interactions with friends and family through these platforms, I realized it was taking up too much of my time, or sometimes affecting me negatively, so I made the decision to go “off the radar” for a month as an experiment.
The first morning was the most difficult — resisting the urge of the “infinite scroll” was powerful. When did I become convinced that social media was my only connection to the outside world? Would anyone miss me?
I replaced it with a morning exercise routine followed by making sure that my emails and texts were under control and off I went with the rest of my day. All my notifications were turned off so I was not interrupted by any bells and whistles. This was a sizable contributor to more productive days at work and at home.
Research has shown that social media use is associated with lower self esteem over time. I thought I would suffer from “digital loneliness epidemic,” which focuses on the global rise in depression and loneliness as it correlates to social media use.
With each passing day, I found myself feeling further and further away from it. I was expanding, evolving and finding new ways of being happy and peaceful.
I learned that, with the development of social networks, the time I used to spend in front of the computer screens had significantly increased. This had led to the further reduction of intensity of interpersonal communication both in my family and in the wider social environment. Although social networks enabled me to interact with a large number of people, these interactions were, for the most part, shallow and cannot adequately replace everyday face-to-face communication.
As it turns out, it seems no one missed me. I have to admit I miss posting my photography and receiving flattering feedback, but I no longer see social media as a means of catching up but as a way keeping up and there is a big difference.
Having something to look forward to is a powerful mood booster. Many people look forward to scrolling through social media. In my case, if that something is a trip, I’m literally jumping for joy.
This doesn’t mean that I will delete all my social media accounts. Like most things in life, moderation works in this scenario, too. I will be conscious about when and how I use social media. If I think that it’s taking up too much of my time, or affecting me or anyone else negatively, I will make the decision to reduce how often I go online.
I will return to my mundane life infused with new information and animation. My intention going forward will be to create and share social media content that has the power to positively impact the lives of the people who follow me.
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