Why I Hate Social Media (But See What's Good With It)
I hate social media for several reasons. I really, really do. This is a rant that I've wanted to do for a long time, so bear with me. I'll also outline some of the good things social media can do, to give this post some balance.
Social media for solo consultants and operators is the biggest time suck. Look, I do my accounting, business development, course development, consulting work, website maintenance, content marketing and networking. All by myself. To have to add being a social media manager to the mix is not a task I look forward to, but I do it, because all of us web owners and publishers are expected to share and distribute our content beyond just our site and search results. Sigh.
Social media contributes to the viral spread of misleading and fake news stories. All's it takes is a sensational, click-baity headline, and boom! Your Drunkle Charlie or crazy aunt hops on Facebook and declares IN ALL CAPS HOW YOU MUST SHARE THIS TO SPREAD THE TRUTH. Ugh.
If you don't have the budget for social media management tools, you have to remember to post your damn articles and events to your social media accounts. Then you get to endure depressing Facebook "tips," (ha!) that helpfully tell you that if you just spend money, your Facebook stream can be seen by 97,000 people in your local area! And none of them are my target audience, yay!
If you try to join social media groups or communities, you have to budget time and energy to participate and play nice. Admit it, all's you'd like to do is promote your products, services and events, and expect them to purchased by others. Admit it.
I Hate Social Media - Only Part Of The Time
I admit, there have been times when I've been in awe of the positive power of social media. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Broadcasting the word about lost cats and dogs - and seeing the happy ending when owner and pet are reunited.
- Live broadcasting significant events that otherwise might be ignored by the media, or mis-represented. Think back several years ago to the Arab Spring uprising. It's damned important that we know accurate facts.
- Fact-checking others who post misleading or otherwise inaccurate information to influence their followers. Nothing makes me happier than to see liars get a knot jerked in their ass over the false things they blatantly post, hoping nobody will be the wiser. It's important to turn over the rocks and let the sun shine on those underneath.
- Getting the word out during natural disasters about where help is really needed. Let's face it, being able to ask for help and instantly having thousands of eyeballs see the request can be awe-inspiring. There are good people in the world!
- Sharing awesome photos and videos of cool things. I have a small drone, and I'm learning how to shoot videos and edit them down to something manageable. It's a lot of fun to share these with my friends on social media!
- Real-time updates about situations - it's really damned sad that the number of horrific shootings here in the U.S. occur. But I've seen where social media can quickly communicate facts and information, including telling people to stay away from dangerous areas.
Alright...my rant is over. Thanks for reading this!
No call to action today...stay safely between the ditches until we meet again.
All the very best to you,
Nancy McDonald
Image courtesy of Pixabay
