The Dangers Of Social Media Platitudes With 12 Tips For Living A Fulfilling Life In The 21st Century

“Work, sweat and achieve.” “Nobody is too busy, it’s just a matter of priorities”. “There is no “I” in Team.” Here are the most popular post quotes (platitudes) on Instagram by the way. I believe in many of these sayings, but am wondering: should we reconsider their context given what is to follow? Please let me know what you think because as this post will attest I’ve been wrestling with this subject for a while now. What is the right thing to do after all ? You might ask yourself this question if you take the time to read on.

If you’ve got an Instagram account like me, heck even here on Linkedin, you see these posts often. No: I am not referring to the bikini models or ripped dudes with their shirts off, no offense to some of my fitness colleagues whom I deeply respect. If I looked as good as some of them I’d likely be doing it myself.

Like many, I’ve been guilty of sharing what I believe were inspirational quotes and upon reflection I’m not sure that’s a good thing. These could be referred to as platitudes and they reflect something I’ve been thinking about. Perhaps we all should. Maybe there are a few downsides to technology and this might be one. As the book Narratives of Technology suggests :

...to be without a story is to be lost in the vastness of a world that spreads in all directions...Turning over our activities, our work, our writing, our telling of stories to machines ultimately destroys meaning.

What is a platitude ? Its defined as : a flat, dull, or trite remark, especially one uttered as if it were profound. Without the narrative words become platitudes that sometimes lack real meaning and can become in fact dangerous. Orwell wrote that, "any struggle against the abuse of language is a sentimental archaism, like preferring candles to electric light or hansom cabs to aeroplanes. Underneath this lies the half-conscious belief that language is a natural growth and not an instrument which we shape for our own purposes."

One might argue that cliches are taking over the English language. Not all words have meaning if there isn’t context, isn't a story. For example, if you’ve never been truly hungry before can you really relate to starvation ? People say they are "starving" all of the time and never have been (over 70% of Americans are overweight or obese). In an effort to conform some of us might be putting our originality at risk because its quicker to share a post than think about its true meaning. Its easy to say things that sound good even when some of us really might not know what we're talking about. In fact these sayings might actually be ruining our lives. If you think I’m kidding just take a peak at Paul Jarvis’s blog post and he’s not the only one saying this. Here’s a snippet:

“...these quotes have the opposite effect the person posting them is after. That’s because they make us feel good and make us feel like we can accomplish something… but without actually accomplishing anything. Who reads a quote, throws down their phone and spends 2 months building an amazing software application or writing a book? But then, I’ve never been interested in “inspiration” – I think it’s entitled bullshit – just like believing you have to follow your passion to truly win at life (totally untrue, and my passion lives behind a jar of pickles in my fridge). Doing real work requires sitting your ass down and doing it, whether or not you’re inspired to.”

Wow. Should our postings of platitudes start being curtailed a bit ? Remember my recent post “Creating the Future Is Wiser Than Fighting The Past?”. Why should I be sharing something that might be innocently undermining someone else ? After all the reason I am doing it is to inspire and encourage others in the first place but how can I share the narrative with such a brief snippet? You know the saying, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" (another platitude perhaps?).

More importantly what if some of these posts are untrue in general ? I like Scott Galloway's recent clip, you’ll see it below, where he says, “When a speaker says follow your passion they are already rich.” Just another platitude and it's really wrong in its implications. Some poor fool might jump off a bridge if they were to believe they could fly and that's their passion. You see flowery language is nice but it is not a substitute for REALITY, aka what the is real and true.

Kurt Anderson’s recently released book Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire provides some persuasive views as to what is going on not only in America but around the world as it pertains to reality. Platitudes might be a reflection of this. While the book is highly controversial, historical, political, and while I do not submit to some of its views, what I do concur with is the idea that many of us are falling victim to false narratives, and to realities we’d like to believe are true; even though they are not true at all, like people saying they are starving and do not have any idea what that means.

In a world where it's so easy to share information the quality of what is being shared comes into question and the ability to convey context approaches the impossible. So now what ? What can we share going forward and what might be of greater help to the communities I contribute to ? Watch this recent video from Scott Galloway .

Here’s Scott's top 10 list of leading a fulfilling life today with 2 more that I added to make it 12. Hopefully this list is more constructive than a flowery Instagram post. Hopefully here is some real truth. No platitudes should be involved although some might sound like it:

1. Get Certified. Education matters more than ever. Invest in yourself. That doesn't mean another degree necessarily. It means a constant curiosity to learn. Heard of Google ? Youtube ? Use them.
2. Be Remarkable. Combine abilities that overlap to give you a competitive advantage.
3. Find The Variance. If everyone is good at Powerpoint in your profession; do something else and consider item 2 above.
4. Move To An Affordable City. Cities are key to economic development and opportunity.
5. Boring is Sexy. The counter to follow your passion. Find out where opportunities are really emerging and focus there. 
6. Delay Gratification. Be patient and make decisions for the long-term not the short-term.
7. Demonstrate Grit. Work hard and workout. A key variable to success is regular exercise and taking care of yourself. 
8. Don’t Follow Your Passion. Use your brain and your heart. When speakers tell you to follow your passion they likely have already achieved success. Be smart in making choices about your present situation and future potential. Play long ball.
9. Ignore the Balance Myth. You can't do everything and trying to do too much is a mistake.
10. Fight Unfair. Do what others cannot. That is what is takes. People often do not get what they deserve, they get what they negotiate and think about strategically that they want. Don't be naive.

Two that Scott missed are:

11. Give to and do for others without expectation of getting anything in return. Work for a non-profit. Give to well researched charities that have proven track records. Help your neighbors or even strangers when they need it. 

12. Live Simply. Buy less stuff. Get rid of distractions. Simplify your life so you can pay attention to what matters more as a result. You don't need one third of the stuff you have already .

So what do you think ? Should we be more careful in sharing platitudes ? Does technology advance the ability to share false narratives ? Your thoughts as always would be appreciated. 

Bryan O’Rourke is a board member, executive, advisor, speaker and author who has successfully led global brands for over 30 years in a variety of capacities. He guides and works with many fitness and health club brands and serves on the IHRSA board of directors. He serves as the CSO for Gold's Gym of Houston with founders Bryan and Kristi Murphy. He launched Vedere Ventures, a boutique private equity firm in 2016 and is President of the Fitness Industry Technology Council which supports the Fitness + Technology Podcast . Check it out today. Get his recent book the 9 Partnership Principles written with his partner Robert Dyer and other top fitness industry leaders. Follow him on all the major social platforms @bryankorourke and visit bryankorourke.com .