Avoiding The Social Media Traps
This article is a great reminder that social media is a tool and should be treated as such! Make sure social media is working for you and not the other way around. Here are some tips on how to find the balance.
I like writing about Social Media from time to time as this relative new phenomenon fascinates me as an observer. I am old school and like to write handwritten letters, play musical instruments, have one on one meetings with people or at least get them on the phone and like email with photos or video attachments over text and Social Media. But some thoughts on
Avoiding The Social Media Traps
All these newfound ideas, Facebook, blogging, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, YouTube can have you falling into traps:
- Time Trap - you just spend too much time there when you could be doing something else. Don't get so sucked in, addicted, that you can't get out!!
- Friend/Follower/Commenter/Relationship Trap - you sense that MANY of these people you are linked to are REAL friends or followers or REAL relationships. Nothing could be further from the truth with the vast majority of them, many who you are clueless who they are to begin with. Not all mind you, but subconsciously you are getting praise from someone who you will probably never really know. Don't neglect the REAL REAL people in your life because of social media
- Meaningfulness/Significance/Importance Trap - just because something is easy to access and reply to doesn't mean it means ANYTHING of real value in your life, like talking about your pets, current events, your daily activities, the weather, your aches and pains, etc. Step back and assess WHAT it is others are sharing with you, what you are sharing with them, that water cooler talk, and think how far you are willing to delve in the world of trivia and drivel. Do not be attention seeking for the sake of attention. That has to be a disorder of some kind, I am sure of it. Also number of points, number of friends, followers, or commenters DOES NOT make you better than someone with lower numbers. There is no real status going on here, even if first impressions make you think that.
WITH BALANCE, with time, relationship, and importance, social media can be informative and entertaining. But do remember there is more, MUCH MORE in life than the use of these tools !!!
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