I Unplugged From Social Media (for a week) and Here's What I Learned
Over the holiday break I went on a trip with my wife Ally, our 2 grown kids and Ally’s family - it was awesome. We drove to Florida, saw some Civil War sites as well as some friends and more family along the way and got on a cruise ship for a week. The WiFi was about $25 per day which I just did not want to pay, and I scheduled out a bunch of content on social media for the pages I manage before we left beforehand so I wouldn’t have to be working on this vacation.
Without WiFi or a signal most of the time I was truly disconnected from social on my iPhone. I still had my iPhone with me because it also has my camera and my music in it, but no Twitter, no Facebook, no Instagram, no Google, no Reddit, no Periscope, no Snapchat, no email, no LinkedIn, no nothing otherwise.
It was a little weird. I have indeed gotten used to having my phone and access to the world at my fingertips at all times. I’m a power user and I check my phone pretty constantly. For work, for pleasure, and yes probably for dopamine rewards.
Unplugged and Unconcerned
So yes it was a little weird to just walk around, sit around, look around, explore around, and just generally take it all in without having what was happening online occupying any space in my head. But I will also say it wasn’t a revelation - it wasn’t a life changing level where I went from addicted basket case who can’t function outside of my iPhone to a whole new world of noticing the world in front of my eyes that I didn’t know existed for years. To me this is good news. I haven’t put myself in a position where I’ve been using social in such an unhealthy way - like an addict who doesn’t realize or won’t admit they have a horrible problem. So does that mean social media is harmless? Absolutely not. So what did I learn that I can share to help the state of your social health? For the purposes of this article we’re going to look at it two ways - 1) As a social media end user / consumer 2) As a business owner / social media manager.
1) Social Media Users
I think there are a couple of techniques here people should use to not let social media negatively affect their life. You can google these and you’ll get plenty of helpful suggestions such as turning off notifications, setting boundaries for when you will use your phone (not at the dinner table etc.) but the one I want to add to the mix that I’ve done a pretty good job of is taking the time to shape the content I consume online. Unfollow, mute or even if you have to - unfriend/block the people and profiles that post lots of drama. Don’t want to be triggered by politics? Then get rid of it! Religion? Trolls? Block it! That is the part of social that once in a while I get sucked into and it’s a waste of energy. Getting out of that news cycle and not seeing negative fans ripping Michigan players after the Alabama loss for example was nice to be away from. It doesn’t dominate my life because I do indeed block and mute the garbage, but noticing the absence of it means I have to do better at eliminating it. You should do the same.
Follow the accounts, the brands, the friends who bring you joy and value and social media will enrich your life as it should!
2) Business Owners / Social Media Managers
The answer here is to make sure you’re doing social right for your business in the first place. Provide value - build your community organically with actual fans who choose to follow you or like your page off an “invite to follow” on Facebook for example, tell stories that entertain and teach, and don’t sell at people. It’s fun when you approach it this way.
Make sure you are taking care of business offline and if you are a digital marketer make sure that the clients you choose to work with are doing the same. When your community is healthy you’ll enjoy your business and creating content for your clients. This way when you are going incommunicado for a while you can schedule out some content and you should be fine. If you’re a digital marketer just ask your clients to check in here and there to acknowledge comments with likes and put out any occasional fires if they come up. They will likely not mind covering for you with just basic monitoring for a week if you’re doing a good job.
I didn’t feel relieved to not be managing the accounts I manage while I was gone. I had piece of mind that those communities would be okay with what I posted while I was gone and they were.
So yes I came back refreshed, but I wasn’t in a social media emotional crisis when I left, and you don’t have to be either. Social media is wonderful if you use it responsibly!
What do YOU think? How is your social media health? When was the last time you unplugged? Comment below and let me know!
Oh and hey, while you’re here check out my podcast - it’s the Doug & Ally Morning Show podcast available on Anchor.fm, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Overcast, RadioPublic, PocketCasts, and Breaker! Hope you like it - please share if you do!
M10 Social is owned by Doug Cohen in West Bloomfield, MI and provides social media training and digital marketing services from the Frameable Faces Photography studio Doug owns with his wife Ally. He can be reached there at tel:248-790-7317, by mobile at tel:248-346-4121 or via email at mailto:doug@frameablefaces.com.
*******************************************************************************************
Tune in to the 📷Doug&Ally📷Morning Show T-F between 8:30 & 11 EST UTC-4 on Periscope by following them on Periscope or Twitter at @frameablefaces!