Good old social media...

When reality falls short of the ideal

Every few months, my partner and I would have this recurring conversation about Facebook: is it worth staying on to be connected with friends, or is it too much of a time sink. I’m usually of the opinion that it has its uses, while he normally leans towards the latter and often ends up going off Facebook for extended periods at a time.

Recently, I’ve been using more and more social media under the guise of promoting this newsletter. I’ve got to “create content” for Instagram so I can gain more followers to whom I can then pitch this newsletter and they will all sign up and I’ll be swimming in a sea of gold coins until the end of time like Scrooge McDuck.

Having a boring old breakfast? Gotta. Create. Content. (I do love this eggy toast though!)

I’ve got this idea of how I should be using social media, and I use it as an excuse to indulge more and more each day, to the point where I often find my eyes hurting from excessive phone use at the end of the day.

So, today, I’m going to take a long hard look at what I think I’m using social media for versus what I’m actually using it for. Then I’ll ask you to do the same. Sounds fair?

Let’s get started.

What I think I’m using social media for

I’m on most major social media platforms, but where I spend most of my time is Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. So I’ll stick with these three for the purpose of this post.

First, good old Facebook, the topic of many discussions between me and my beloved: I think of it as a tool to stay connected with friends—see what they’ve been up to, comment on their posts, initiate conversations—as well as a forum to ask practical questions and get crowdsourced wisdom.

Next, Instagram, my social media of choice: I see my personal account as a place to build a social media following so I can promote my writing, and my newsletter account as a forum for people to come exchange ideas about things I’ve made them stop and think about.

Would be good if I got genuine comments instead of spammers…

As for LinkedIn, I see it as a place to stay connected with former colleagues and expand my professional network with like-minded individuals, as well as a place to showcase my professional experience and market myself to potential employers.¹

What I actually use social media for

• Facebook: Endless scrolling through posts of people most of whom I barely know and wouldn’t talk to in real life

• Instagram: Endless scrolling through posts of people most of whom I barely know and wouldn’t talk to in real life

• LinkedIn: Endless scrolling through posts of people most of whom I barely know and wouldn’t talk to in real life

Yup, that’s right. I do use these platforms for the purposes detailed above, but I spend far more time just mindlessly scrolling, straining my eyes on image after image, post after post, news headline after news headline.

My mindless scrolling is nowhere near as bad as it was a year ago, and I don’t feel shitty about myself afterwards. But still, it’s not ideal.

That time would be far better spent reading, playing chess, actually having conversations with friends, or simply relaxing on the couch listening to music. I’m sure my eyes—and my sanity—would thank me for it.

What do you think?

You’ve seen how my reality diverges from the ideal when it comes to social media. And now it’s your turn to take a long hard look at your social media practices and tell me:

What do you think you’re using social media for, and what do you actually use it for?

Maybe you’re much more disciplined about your social media use than I am. Maybe you’re a bona fide doomscroller. Maybe you’re not on social media.² Maybe you think Facebook is a book full of faces³ and this whole post has been a jumble of nonsense. Whichever category you fall into, I want to hear from you. Send a reply, leave a comment, share this with someone who’s got a huge following on social media…

Just kidding. You can share it with whoever you think would benefit from taking stock of their social media use, which I think is probably… everyone?

Until next Friday… Stay thoughtful,

Val

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Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash

1. I actually did get a job once because someone saw my LinkedIn profile and reached out. It was my first job out of university and that got me really excited about LinkedIn’s potential. I’ve kept my profile shipshape ever since.

2. In which case, I’d be very curious to know how you stay connected with friends!

3. Don’t read that wrong.