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Putting the “Social” Back in Social Media
I’ll admit it: I love social media. It’s opened worlds we never thought possible, much like the internet itself. Connecting friends and family while providing an endless supply of baby, kid, puppy, and prom pictures (whether you want to see them or not). It also provides first-hand accounts of live breaking situations and news, faster than we’ve ever had access to before.
What I’ve come to realize over the last several years is that not only do people use social media differently, some have no interest in the social aspect whatsoever. While we read posts all day long complaining about how social media stinks, that is a reflection on those users themselves. Ouch. Was that too real? Let me slow it down.
Before we had social media, we had blogs that zillions of people read. With the invention of the social network Facebook, things changed. Not you could quickly find others who shared your interests from all over the country. Blogging groups were formed along with friendships.
Then came Twitter and suddenly, instead of just commenting on a blog site or Facebook status, readers were able to use a worldwide chat board to share their thoughts and link to the sites they enjoyed. In the early days, this is how people came to follow each other. Users actually created the “retweet.” You could interact and share ideas in real time. This is where many of our favorite websites were originally founded, in these connections made by “just bloggers.”
The occasional rant on Twitter was rare. Now it seems that all anyone does on the service is whine and complain using upwards of 30 Tweets. So many rant and so few communicate anymore, which is the value of social media. When we converse versus just “shouting” our ideas at the clouds, over and over again, we then actually begin communicating. Maybe we can even solve some problems. At the very least, interacting creates new opportunities for like-minded individuals to connect. And part of interacting is listening to others’ viewpoints.
When all you do is “rant” all day on any social media site, you just become the crazy street preacher that people avoid. Others have written about the “I’m not here to make friends” attitude, which makes perfect sense if you’re in some kind of competition. Spoiler: You are not. Social Media isn’t about competing with others’ perceived successes or at least it shouldn’t be. Even if it were, athletes and economists would still suggest that collaboration improves your own game, sportsmanship, and success. But I digress…
Of course, it’s totally human to feel a pang of jealousy when we see those vacation photos or big publication links and recognition, but that should be a fleeting moment. It shouldn’t become the focus of your life or your posts. Others’ success shouldn’t in anyway hamper your own. Celebrate others’ successes so that some day they will celebrate yours.
Comparison to others may be the most common of social media users’ habits, however it’s unhealthy and unrealistic. People rarely share pictures of the bad days or tweets about their failures.
For many of us, social media is about networking, information, and yes, making friends. We talk about our lives, our pets, our tastes in music. You know, the things that normal people discuss with their friends. It makes it a much more enjoyable experience. Those who see social media as only a means to an end don’t seem to get the point in the first place.
Published in General
This reminds me of Mark Steyn’s comparison of American news to slightly more entertaining British news. Somewhere along the line, journalists mistook Hemingway’s sterile, matter-of-fact delivery with objectivity and honesty. It’s possible to be both informative and entertaining. The latter attracts a larger audience and keeps even disciplined, studious readers more interested.
On social media, there is undeniably a significant market for bitter sarcasm and insults. But a friendlier, livelier voice can help attract the uninitiated to truth.
Or you can simply use social media to share the uncontroversial aspects of life, as many do. Such platforms are still fine places for sharing of light-hearted jokes and family pictures.
Speaking of simply enjoyable social media, there’s a fun hashtag project on Twitter today called #ScaleBackABook. The idea is to “scale back” the title of a famous novel to humorous effect.
For example, two of my own pathetic entries are “The Chef of Monte Cristo” and “Wuthering Hinds.”
There’s something deeply endearing about sharing a stream of jokes with thousands of strangers.
Social media will always reflect human behavior because it involves people. Particularly when aided by anonymity and where people can be themselves in the worst possible way.
I’m also leery of exhibitionism. Pride in real accomplishment is something worth sharing, but there is a level of sharing that begins to reek of desperation for attention. I would feel weird participating in something that made people more neurotic.
Mickey, I’m so glad to see you writing on Ricochet!
Keep up the good work with the TJAMS podcast.
The same day I read your story, I read another similar one on a blog. The couple were millennials and the husband made a comment to a group of friends that social media makes him feel like “it’s never good enough”. His wife was surprised and echoed the same sentiment, along with the group as a whole. They said because social media is constant, there is inadvertently constant comparisons that they don’t measure up – someone’s vacation, new house, new car, parenting, grades, appearance, always something.
I was getting my teeth cleaned and one of the hygienists kept walking around – she said she was way behind in her “steps”, an app where people set goals for walking and compete? The phone logs your “steps”…..
Anyway, I am wondering if this is an issue among millennials and younger? The end of the story said let the phone sit on the kitchen counter and go outside! Thanks for your interesting story!