“Don’t compare your Behind The Scenes with other peoples’ Highlight Reels”
They say that when people were around Steve Jobs they became participants in his "reality distortion field" because he was so charismatic. Those working with Jobs would buy into his vision and enthusiasm, even if it didn't make the most practical (or financial) sense. It's kind of like that when you step into the world of social media selfies, hashtags, perfectly curated lives, exaggerations, controversy, and dopamine boosts from seeing those notifications. Even when you are aware of what's going on, and that social media companies want you to be addicted to using their platforms, it's hard to avoid getting pulled in.
Remember that you are on social media to do business, so don't get too distracted by the activity of your friends. If you're working on cross-promotion or simply gauging average user behavior then go for it... as long as you limit yourself to a very reasonable amount of time. It can be incredibly easy to get distracted, even for a busy and disciplined marketer. Check those baby pictures, post to a group, and then get back to work before you get lost down the rabbit hole.
Getting sucked in to social media posts can also cause depression. It is actually a very common issue that I read about more and more each year as people only post the best moments of their lives. You get a skewed sense of how well other people's lives are going and Always keep one thing in mind: you’re looking at people’s curated highlights and humble brags, not their actual day to day reality. You can use the success you see on your friends’ profiles (keeping in mind it’s not the full story) to motivate you to be better. Don't use it as fuel to make yourself feel inadequate. It's a problem with all demographics but obviously a bigger one for tweens, teens, and Millennials that have been using social media so often and for such a dominant portion of their lives.
If needed, take a break from those Facebook updates or filtered Instagram photos. Limit yourself to 5 minutes a day or even less. Remember that social media should be for fun or productivity and not for obsession and addiction.
I choose to focus on the positives that social media has brought us all, including the benefits I've derived from it professionally. Keep it simple and keep it business-related.
I hope you enjoyed this article about how to avoid getting sucked into the social media reality distortion field.
Interested in more articles about social media?
Read My Posts:
- On Instagram It's About Engagement & Not Just Likes
- Savvy Snapchat Social Selling Suggestions
Published by Michael J Schiemer
Owner of Bootstrap Business
Money - Marketing - Motivation
Digital Marketing | SEO | Social Media
Mike Schiemer Builds Better Business
Share This On Social Media:
