For higher or worse, social media is now a fixture in our lives. It influences how we socialize, work, and join with our communities. It’s almost unimaginable to stay with out, and I’m typically tremendous envious of people that don’t use it in any respect. In 2023, there have been an estimated 4.9 billion social media customers worldwide, with the common individual spending 145 minutes on social media day-after-day. I don’t find out about you, however I can consider much better issues to do than spend 2+ hours on my telephone every day.
It’s wild to assume that social media didn’t exist within the kind it did now after I began my profession as an Leisure Publicist in 2005. On the time, we had MySpace, however it wasn’t near how we now use social platforms. One 12 months later, Twitter (now X) would attain the cultural zeitgeist, and we’d start to know how rapidly the world was linked.
Featured picture from our interview with Sanetra Nere Longno.
As a result of I’ve chosen a profession that depends closely on social media and staying up to the mark on developments, I’m continually re-evaluating and readjusting my habits and bounds with varied platforms. It’s taken just a few iterations, plus loads of reflection on my time and utilization, however I landed in a great place as soon as I began asking myself just a few key questions and shifting my habits in game-changing methods.
Now, these are the social media “guidelines” and bounds I observe to make sure my relationship with my platforms stays wholesome—a supply of connection and inspiration.
Pals Get Information Earlier than Strangers
This one is straightforward, however no big life occasion or change will hit social media earlier than my interior circle, expensive pals, or household will get the information. I’ve principally determined to maintain that form of information off of social media anyway in order that a big chunk of my private life stays non-public. Nevertheless, if I’m going to share any type of replace, I take a beat earlier than posting.“Do my greatest girlfriends find out about this?” If the reply is not any, it doesn’t get shared.
Am I keen to have interaction with what I’m sharing?
I LOVE to share deal. Whether or not it’s a candle dupe, a steal on a terrific costume, or a product I really actually love—it’s all honest recreation. However, these types of posts typically garner loads of questions and responses. So I ask myself earlier than posting: Am I keen to have interaction? If the reply is not any, I don’t submit something. I really like being useful and wish to really feel that my neighborhood can depend on me, but when I’m drained or depleted and gained’t take time to reply, I merely don’t submit about it.
Holidays are for Staying Current
Camille did an unimaginable job of this when she traveled for her fortieth birthday. She was very intentional upfront about disconnecting, even sharing in her e-newsletter that she was deleting the Instagram app whereas away. What a present to offer your self.
Right here’s how I see it. If I’m spending 1000’s of {dollars} on touring, particularly someplace new, solely to be on my telephone the whole time… nicely, I might’ve achieved that at residence. This has been an enormous observe for me, however I want to take all the images I can on my journey, keep current within the second, then if I really feel like sharing after I return, I’ll. In fact there have been serendipitous moments the place I’ve posted from one other nation, solely to be taught a pal was additionally there so we might meet up. It’s so enjoyable, but when I’m open to that subsequent time, I’ll submit forward of time that I’m going to a particular location within the hopes a pal can also be there. TL; DR: I’m posting about my journeys after ought to I even resolve to do this.
Notice: you may exchange the phrase “trip” for dinners, pal hangs, time with household, and so on. The largest query I think about is: am I current and being within the second proper now? As a result of it’s second I’ll by no means get again.
Why am I sharing this?
It is a query I ask myself typically. We overanalyze the reply, positive, however I additionally assume it’s a legitimate query to replicate on. One factor I seen about leaders I love in knowledgeable capability is that they not often use social media to share. They’re passive customers in that they pop on to see what is occurring on the planet, however they not often submit themselves.
These are the questions that information what I find yourself posting:
- Do I wish to doc a second in time?
- Am I amplifying another person’s voice or work?
- Is what I’m sharing useful?
- Will this join or create neighborhood?
These are the issues I are inclined to wish to submit and share most about. And if the intention behind my posting doesn’t test a kind of bins? I’ll fortunately simply preserve it to myself.
Are you participating with folks or pages that make you content?
If the reply is not any, your choices are easy: mute or unfollow. There have been pages or folks I adopted due to a particular time or interval in my life. Working example: I’m nonetheless on my no-drinking life-style, so following pages of alcohol, or seeing folks submit about themselves doing one thing cringe whereas drunk isn’t serving me at this second in life. So, I select to mute or unfollow. It’s most likely the best boundary we are able to set for ourselves.
Make the most of Your Settings: Quiet Mode, Time Restrict, Flip Off Notifications
My life modified for the higher after I turned off my Instagram notifications. I had such a behavior of rapidly responding the second somebody reached out or commented on a narrative or submit. Consequently, I felt like a prisoner to my feed and began to resent even being energetic on the platform. I’ve additionally set a time restrict, giving myself half-hour per day and make the most of Quiet Mode within the evenings so anybody that messages me is aware of I gained’t be responding. To me, this has been the most effective type of self-care.
What else might I be doing with my time?
I listened to this episode of Mel Robbin’s podcast not too long ago the place she had Dr. Kanojia (Dr. Ok) as a visitor. He’s a Harvard-trained psychiatrist specializing in trendy psychological well being and know-how’s affect on the mind. It’s a must-listen for everybody.
What actually hit me was after they talked about why we really feel drained the entire time. There are various components at play, however within the context of social media, we are able to attribute hours of scrolling and bingeing content material for killing our consideration span. Since I’ve listened to the podcast, anytime I’ve gone to seize my telephone to doom scroll, I’ve requested myself what else I may very well be doing? What can be extra productive? I’ll give myself a couple of minutes (actually, a couple of minutes tops) to scroll, then I get to the duty at hand. Consequently, my productiveness has skyrocketed.
The Takeaway
Readers, I’m seeing a direct correlation between not consuming and chopping again on social media utilization. When requested if I miss alcohol, I replicate on how I miss having a margarita on a scorching summer time day or a Spritz on a patio. However one margarita or Spritz wasn’t an issue, it was the a number of I’d have and the way I’d really feel the following day.
The identical has been true of my social media utilization. Spending 5-10 minutes on social media every day wasn’t the issue. As an alternative, it was the hours of scrolling, to not point out the best way it made me really feel. I’d typically finish these scrolling classes feeling that I used to be lacking out on one thing or negatively evaluating myself to others. That instances takes me out of the current second and I fell sufferer to the eye financial system. And after I take into consideration the one second I’ve proper now—the current second—I wish to be doing issues that make me really feel pleased, peaceable, fulfilled, and relaxed.
I can’t eliminate social media, however I can management the way it matches into my life. I hope these prompts and concerns show you how to as you be taught to navigate your social utilization and that they go away you feeling a little bit lighter. Belief me: with out the burden of others’ lives in your thoughts always, it should.
