How To Deal With Shiny Platform Syndrome

"Shiny object syndrome is the situation where people focus all attention on something that is current and trendy, yet drop this as soon as something new takes its place."Thanks, Wikipedia.

Sound familiar? I know it does. You know why? The era we're in is a breeding ground for anxiety related to Fear of Missing Out, lovingly known as FOMO and keeping up with the latest trends. While Shiny Object Syndrome is more general, I want to address something specific- Shiny Platform Syndrome. Yes, I may have coined that. Yes, you may call me a visionary.

The last one year has been a unique opportunity to observe this Shiny Platform Syndrome in action when a brand new audio-only social media took the internet by storm. You guessed it, I'm talking about Clubhouse.

While this isn't the only new social media platform to be released into the Wild Wild West of the internet, it definitely got more attention than most. 

Actually, it did more than just get attention. It unleashed a side of us we probably deal with in many other parts of our life- it made us desperate to be included in something.

Being invite-only and originally iOS-exclusive made it worse.

Everyone wanted to know what was going on. "What's so special about that damn Clubhouse?" For some, it got so bad that they were willing to buy an invite, and others (including me) got hooked to the platform so much that we were willing to forego sleep to be a part of a room and not miss out. (The notifications don't help.)

This isn't the first time this is happening and it won't be the last. 

More social media platforms are being created today than ever before. So the question arises- how do we deal with Shiny Platform Syndrome?

The factors that make us gravitate towards a new platform are sometimes not superficial. We invest precious time, money and energy into trying out the latest thing, sometimes without realizing how much.

Dealing with the FOMO and subduing the urge to try out every new trend takes reflection and mindful behavior. Being a person who thinks in systems, I came up with a system for myself which is part philosophical, part practical. It's working well so far.

I must warn you, if you're enjoying the FOMO and SPS, don't read this.I'm writing this for people like me, who have addictive tendencies and have to deal with anxiety caused by social media.

Step #1- Put it through the New Economics test

Henry David Thoreau was an American philosopher, poet, and environmental scientist, known for his work Walden, which is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings.

In 1845, Thoreau moved into a cabin near Walden Pond and lived there for 2 years. He was then working on a new theory of economics which was in response to industrialization and it's dehumanizing effects.

“The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.”

This core concept was what philosopher Frédéric Gros called Thoreau's "New Economics Theory".

New Economics in the context of our digital world

Essentially, the unit of measure shifts from money to time. This same theory can be applied to our digital life, says author Cal Newport in his book Digital Minimalism.

"How much of your time and attention must be sacrificed to earn the small profit of occasional connections and new ideas that is earned by cultivating a significant presence on x platform?"

In other words, is sporadic and unreliable profit really worth the time you're investing in a platform? 

This question is why I deactivated Facebook, rarely use Instagram and deleted Clubhouse from my phone. It's a powerful reality check.

Step #2- Work out the pros, cons and alternatives

Say you determine a platform (say Clubhouse) is really worth of your time. Following the footsteps of Clubhouse (I'm using Clubhouse as an example because it's timely and relevant), many platforms have introduced social audio into their apps. 

Should you be using all of them? Probably not.

If you decide a feature or platform is worth investing time in, depending on your goal, you should ask yourself a few questions before doing so-

• Is my ideal audience using this platform?
• Will I be able to learn something new here?
• Will I find inspiring and creative people to connect with here?
• Does this platform compromise my privacy for profit?
• Does it look like this platform will exist in a few years?
• Does this platform allow my work to be discovered?
• Does the platform support my long term goals?
• Will I find my community on this platform?
• Will I be able monetize my content on this platform?

Based on questions like these, you should be able to figure out the pros and cons of each platform. A step further would be to research alternatives and figuring out the perfect fit for you. Just because something works for someone else, doesn't mean it's ideal for you, too.

Step #3- Make a plan of how to use the platform

Being consistent and producing good content on any platform tends to yield good results. The key word here is intention.

If you make a plan for how you want to use the features of the platform, how you want to engage with your audience and dedicate enough time to cultivate a strong community on a platform, you're less likely to jump ship when a new one comes along.

If you're just starting out, you can check my posts on how to avoid overwhelmand what to create about when you think you have nothing to say.

The time to think about how much and what kind of importance we want to give social media platforms in our lives is here. Using social media platforms should be a conscious decision and not a choice by default.

If you try out this system, do let me know how it works out for you, I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Leave a comment below or send me a DM!

This article was originally published on blog.ishachitnis.com.