Showing posts with label Social Media Addiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Media Addiction. Show all posts

Friday, March 23, 2018

9 Social Media Self-Care Tips?


Is social media stressing you out? Here are 9 self-care tips..



How many hours do you spend on social media per day?

Studies suggest that globally the average amount of time people spend online is two hours. This obviously increases in countries like the U.S. and across different age groups. So, if you're in your mid-twenties or mid-thirties living in an urban, metropolitan area, you can safely multiply that stat by two.

For some of us, that number may seem high. For others, it may feel low. But no matter how anyone spins it, we spend a whole lot of time communicating with our thumbs these days—and the sheer amount of information we come across is vast.

As humans, we're still figuring out how to compute all of this data. Yes, we are more informed than ever, but we're also more anxious, less trusting and addicted to the 24/7 news cycle. It's also difficult to disconnect, even when being online feels unhealthy, because there are so many benefits. It's an opportunity for us to communicate, a place to share ideas and a platform for creatives and business owners to talk about their work.



So, how can we successfully manage our social media, while staying creative and sane? Well, I've got a few tips..

1. Abandon the false narrative that consuming media = staying informed.

You are an artist, a business owner, a mom, a creative—whatever the case may be—before you are a media consumer. Constantly checking your phone, reading the paper and refreshing your feeds makes you a media addict.

Reading books, having conversations, checking in on local news regularly and having broad interests (among other things) makes you well-informed.

So, invest in your own education with intention and discipline. It will likely limit your anxiety and simultaneously benefit your work.



2. When you're overwhelmed by your timeline or frustrated with your own social media presence, take a breather. It all comes down to communication.

Social media can sometimes feel like a numbers game, but at the end of the day it's a tool we use to communicate. There will be times that your message fails, there will be times that you are misunderstood, and there will be times in which you don't understand others. This is a normal part of communication for our species.

Do not be discouraged when these things happen to you. Do not take social media validation as a sign of your value, worth or contribution to society. This quote from a piece by Cami Ostman, M.S. on Psychology Today puts it best: "How you respond to being misunderstood will be the difference between spending a good deal of time trying to correct other people's misperceptions or being free to carry on with your life no matter what others think of you."



3. You are not required to participate in the hip movement of the moment.

Everyone dishing their opinion on the latest installation at your local museum? Cool. Everyone upset about the latest political scandal? Cool. Everyone sharing the same viral video? Cool. That does not mean you have to. You reserve the right to sit certain trends out, especially when you're operating an account that conflates with your business, work and/or creative endeavors. Studies also show that posting too often can be a negative thing.

4. Unfollow accounts that don't bring you joy.

This should go without saying, but sometimes we just need permission: Whether it's a friend, a brand's account or a news outlet, it's OK to unfollow. Although you shouldn't tune out everything (studies show we need negativity), feel free to guiltlessly take breaks from things that only bring anxiety and worry.



5. No one will miss you if you go offline for a few days, and that's a good thing.

Taking a cold-turkey break from the online world can be refreshing. I'm pretty active online (even manage client accounts for business purposes), but I regularly turn my phone off and step away from my accounts for at least a few days every other month. Utilize scheduling tools so your feed stays fresh even if you're away or simply cease posting altogether during times of intensity or national disaster. Even PR experts say that "going dark" can be a good thing.

6. Recognize when you're addicted.

Addiction to anything can hold us back — and addiction to social media is no different. If you feel that you spend too much time online, you probably do. So, confront your bad media habits. Don't open your social media apps, just because you're bored. Utilize online apps that turn social media off during the work day. Set boundaries and time limits on your social media use. Breaking addictive cycles is difficult, but a little discipline goes a long way.



7. Repeat after me: You do not have to be everything to everyone everywhere.

In today's hyper-digital world, there are plenty of social media platforms to join and a million ways to communicate online.

You do not have to be present and active on every single one of them. In truth, trying to do everything at once is likely a waste of your time.

I touched on this in a previous post about burning out for Planoly: Social media should be part of your plan, not all of your plan. "Leverage your content and identify where you get the most traction.



Is your organization or art centered on throwing events / performances? Focus your energy on Facebook.

Are you trying to connect with brands and businesses? Focus your energy on Instagram. Are you trying to gain clients in design? Head to Behance. (Again, you do not have to be everything to everyone everywhere.)"

8. Prioritize your creative output.

Generating new and creative ideas often requires psychological distance, i.e. the ability to think abstractly and about the bigger picture. If you're constantly consuming information, without taking time to process or analyze, you'll likely spiral into confusion and disorientation. By giving yourself the space to create, you may need to limit the amount of input you receive. Remind yourself that this is normal and feel comfortable turning sources of inspiration off.



9. Remember that social media is a tool— it's supposed to work for you, not against you.

We create technology to make things easier. It's supposed to help us reach our goals and accomplish our objectives. If you consistently fail to derive personal and/or professional benefit from social media, pick up a new set of tools.

Guest Authored By Jane Claire Hervey. Jane is a creative producer, activist, entrepreneur, writer and performance artist. Originally from the Rio Grande Valley, she moved to Austin to study at the University of Texas. After earning her Bachelor's of Science in Journalism and pursuing a career in freelance writing and startup management, she began searching for creative resources and a space to ask professional questions. she hosted her first #bossbabesATX meet in 2015, hoping to foster community and connection between self-identified women in Austin, Texas. Jane now runs the nonprofit and its festival, BABES FEST, while managing her own production studio, Group Work. As an intersectional feminist, her personal and professional life are dedicated to improving community infrastructure, retooling systems of collaboration and changing cultural economies to create equal opportunity for women and girls. Follow Jane on Twitter.





"As humans, we're still figuring out how to compute all of this data.


It's also difficult to disconnect, even when being online feels unhealthy, because there are so many benefits.." -JaneClaireHervey


    • Post Crafted by:
      Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, Colorado. I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)
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    Location: Loveland, CO 80538, USA

    Monday, March 13, 2017

    YOUR Social Media Addiction?


    Like it or not, social media has become the addiction of techno choice for the conceivable future. People are plugged in at work, at home, on the go, with strangers, and out and about with friends..


    Any day, at just about any hour, if you take a look, you’ll find many people physically, metaphorically, mentally, and, well, downright literally hooked into their laptops, mobile phones and iPads. One way or another, we’re hooked.

    Name your poison: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine, Tumblr, Google+, apps, games and pretty much anything else connecting us to some kind of software and through them to other people. It’s good, it’s bad and, depending on the user, it can get ugly.

    The best part of the internet is that everyone has access to it. And the worst part is also that everyone has access to it. But we tend to love it for the most part—it’s connected us with so many like-minded souls from one end of the globe to the other. What did we do without them?


    And what would many entrepreneurs and businesses do with them?

    Social Media Dealers

    Despite all of this, I find many entrepreneurs asking me the same questions: How do I make the best use of it? How do I even find the right customers via social media? How do I come to understand their needs? And how can I facilitate their needs to my business?


    That’s the ultimate goal of your brand’s marketing team: how to score some serious social media addiction from others. As all reliable social media content junkies knows, you want to offer something that keeps them coming back for more.


    But what makes them come back for more? Simple—something that inspires people to part with lots of time and attention, and hopefully, money.

    Here’s my quick guide to your average social media addiction:
    • Vine and Instagram = Social Media Light Beer. Videos and pics are easily found, cheap, and don’t last long—people always want more. A few quick hits per day, and your good to go.
    • Facebook = Social Media Wine and 10% Beer. It lowers inhibitions, inflates reality and makes people talk nonstop. A marketing party dream!
    • Twitter = Social Media Hard Drugs. This one is considered the narcissists main jolt. Addictive, self-centered, quick, brief and wears off just fast enough to need another dose.
    • Google+ = Social Media Marijuana. Depends on how deep you take it all in.
    • Pinterest - If anyone figures this one out let me know.


    Understanding Why People Get Hooked

     Some time ago, I interviewed Dr. Pamela Rutledge, and she explained:

    “Social validation is important; a Facebook like is a social signal. It affirms our existence the same way that someone nodding at you on the sidewalk does. We have a tremendous double standard about what’s ok.

    “Sharing inconsequential events is superficial; liking 'likes' is dangerous; if you post a selfie you’re a narcissist. All these worries reflect a level of moral panic or techno-fear about relatively new technologies.”

    It’s more important than ever for brands to realize that they no longer hold the reigns as to what people want to see, think or buy. Understanding this shifted balance can make or break your social marketing campaign.

    Another sage piece of advice: how social media works is not very important. It’s what drives people to use it and how they use it that counts the most. That’s why, when we make a purchase online, it follows us everywhere. People’s needs and wants drive social media. Never forget that.



    Five Traits That Drive Social Media Use

    1. Fear of Missing Out

    The love of being connected is a trait more than any other that has led to the curse of “fear of missing out” (FoMO). Hardly a new “fear,” but it’s a biggie on social media. (Check your FoMO ranking here.)

    2. Ego

    Easily the best tool for social media analytics. But marketers have largely ignored the underlying motives. Consider this: every Tweet, Linked In, Facebook and Twitter share amounts to personal branding. We don’t care if others engage so long as they share it.

    3. Perceived Value

    I’ve said it more times than I can recall: Perception = Reality. Regardless of how poor the person’s receptors are. At the very least, a successful social campaign delivers one thing: incentivized value, one that meets the needs of the customer base.



    4. Control

    In Seth Godin’s book, We Are All Weird, he said:

    “As soon as consumers enter the marketplace, they gain power, because power comes from choice. Consumer power is a brand new force, and it’s growing exponentially as a result of more affluence running in parallel with more choice.”

    5. Social Comparison/Self-Esteem

    In order to assess feelings, strengths, weaknesses, abilities and perspectives, people often make comparisons (again, it doesn’t matter how wrong they might be). Social comparison also relates to people’s self-esteem.


    Dr. Rutledge said: “It is not surprising that people might experience an increase in self-esteem after having their social connections (and support) reaffirmed. Social connections are a valuable asset. That’s why we call it social capital.”


    Getting Social Media Junkies Hooked

    So now you want to earn people’s time and attention. Good. That means your branded content has to be leveraged across the right social media channels. In other words, you can’t wait to be found.


    Like working out so as to build muscle, you gotta push it. And in this game your one of two things: the dealer or the producer.
    • Dealer. You supply the content people need, and along the way, advertise other things they might need. You’re slapping your brand name on user-generated content in exchange for time and attention.
    • Producer. You create the content and control the user experience. Videos, games, audios, entertainment, apps, whatever. Anything that might get them hooked on your brand. This also ensures they recommend your brand to their friends and followers.


    Time and experience has given us a better level of understanding about social media than we had five or even two years ago.
    Whether or not you go with the same flow as the next best content creator, or create an innovating stream of content, the best advice anyone can give you is to blend in and become a part of the crowd you want to impress.

    Guest Authored By Tom Lowery. Tom is a writer, author, training specialist and entrepreneur. He writes on his blog, Thinking Out Loud, about life, people, business and interpersonal relationships, which means, in essence, he's combined literature and business to create his own career path: He's a "Lit-re-preneur. Having spent over thirty years within the 9 to 5 world, Tom helped others make millions while he busied myself making much less, writing articles for magazines like Cinescape and Hollywood Then and Now; producing special events for larger projects like UKwithNY, a few dozen stage productions and special events like MainMission: 2000. More recently, he's been contributing to Huffington Post, CMS Wire, collaborating with Cheryl Snapp Conner on Forbes, working on his first mystery novel and debating with everyone! Follow Tom on Twitter.





    “Just one word of caution:

    Don’t become a social media narc.

    People will turn off even faster than they turned onto you. And you don’t want that—do you?..”


      • Authored by:
        Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at GetMoreHere.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, Colorado. I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)
      Follow Me Yonder..                     Instagram
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