Social media doesn't have to be a dilemma

I love social media.?It’s how I built my whole business!?Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn - you name it, I’m on it.?I love it.??

If you want to be successful and you want to grow an audience organically and authentically, social media has to be a part of your strategy. It has to be. It’s the world we live in now. That's where the people are. You go to where your people are and serve your audience.?

But let me be clear.

Social media is yours. You get to choose how you use it.?Don't let it use you. You use it.?

My husband, Hamish, and I watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix a while ago.?If you haven’t seen it, you need to.?If you have teenagers or young kids with phones, watch it with them.?Talk to them about it.?

Social media is a big marketing machine and unless we teach our kids how to navigate this world of technology, it can negatively impact them.?

The young people of today have so much more ability to feel insecure, lost, or full of self doubt (thank goodness Instagram wasn’t around when I was in highschool!)?The marketing of products and ads has really ramped up on social media as well.??

Big tech companies know what they’re doing and they rarely show you an unbiased point of view.?They let you see what they want you to see. They block content they don’t want you to see etc.

So it’s our job to educate ourselves and our children on the role that social media is going to play in our lives.

Here are some of my thoughts on how social media doesn't have to be a dilemma.

Balance

The internet is an amazing tool but like anything, you need balance.?If it’s making you feel bad, it’s out of balance and it’s not helping you.? Check in with yourself.?Do you feel good??Do you feel stressed??Don’t be afraid to unfollow people and get rid of the stuff that doesn’t serve you.?Marie Kondo that shit.

Know what’s good for you.?

When you’re scrolling, you’re consuming.?Know what is good for you to consume and what is NOT good for you to consume.?

If you know you’re going to compare yourself to that girl with the “flawless” skin and the rock hard abs and then feel bad about yourself, stop consuming.?And remember, social media isn’t real life.?Most of the time, it’s a filter and good lighting.

Set a time

It’s important to understand and teach our kids that there's a dopamine hit, a chemical reaction that occurs in our brains when we are on our phones which causes addiction.?So, set a time limit.??

You might know you can only use it for a certain amount of time in the day until you start getting fuzzy eyed, tired, and depressed.?Maybe limit it to a particular time of the day where you know you’re at your best and can deal with all the stuff coming at you.??Set a curfew if you need to.

The best way to do it is the way that you know yourself.?Get to understand what works for you.

Remember real connection

When you’re hanging out with someone in real life, put the screens away. Make eye contact.?

Remember to look your kids in the eye.?Look your partner in the eye.?Put your phone down and connect with the people in front of you.?

Listen to what they are saying and pay attention to what’s going on in your own house and in your own mind.

If you have teenagers, you've got to teach them this. How do you teach them??By doing it yourself.

Teenagers have enough trouble fitting in as it is.?Even before social media existed, it was hard.?They have a whole new world to navigate that we never had to deal with.?But this is the world we live in and it can be awesome if we choose to use it the right way.??

I watched a video that Russel Brand did on what he thought about the documentary and what he said was so powerful.?He mentioned how difficult we have it now with social media and the number of people we have the ability to be connected with.

He spoke about the fact that we have not evolved to live in groups of millions. Our prehistoric tribal mentality makes us want to fit in and belong, to stick together to survive.?But that’s with smaller groups of people, not thousands or millions.

We are not designed to handle millions of people reaching out to us, looking at us or having an opinion about every single thing we say or do.?

Check in with yourself.?Check in with your kids.?Be mindful of what you’re consuming and allowing in. It doesn’t have to be a dilemma, it can be a great tool if we learn how to use it.?

Use social media, don’t let it use you.

I recorded a podcast episode all about this a while ago and it's all the more relevant today. Check it out.