It may be hard to believe, but I know several people who do not have social media (SM) profiles. That’s right – they are among us. I often wonder how the non-social media folks decided not to jump on the bandwagon. Did they somehow know that SM would one day govern their lives and they just couldn’t fathom such a travesty? Well, it may have been a conscious effort for some, but others may have had a different experience. It might have gone something like this: They came. They saw. They said, “No, thank you.”
Whatever the reason, this elite group (at least they are in my eyes) managed to outrun the trap. I know that “trap” is an interesting choice for a word, especially when I, like many other creators, rely on social media for the kind of exposure that is needed to get the word out about our work. That aside, I won’t lament about the “evils” of social media because that horse has been beaten to death and has long since been buried.
What I will say is this: For those of us who have chosen this life (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc.), these platforms have become an integral part of our existence. So much so, that we can barely let a day go by without checking in. It starts with a notification. We hear that bell, and everything around us stops. Classical conditioning at its finest. Pavlov would be so proud. Before we open that app, we think to ourselves, let me check this right quick! And that usually leads to us mindlessly scrolling our timelines. Sometimes it’s just for a moment – other times, we get caught up in a never-ending barrage of birthday wishes, anniversary shout outs, hearts, laughs, and thumbs ups.
And don’t let it be late at night. Already fighting to keep your eyes open, you continue to hold that phone until your mind simply cannot process a lucid thought. When that happens, you end up here:
But let’s face it, no one is forcing any of us to be on SM – we do have a choice. This leads me back to those unicorns – the fortunate ones. You know, the ones who refused to become a part of this movement.
Even major stars like Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, and Kate Winslet have managed to shy away from their own cameras. They are just a few celebrities who have chosen not to become entangled with the likes of SM. They probably like to enjoy their lives the way they always have, I suppose. And there is nothing wrong with that. Other celebrities are encouraged to have a SM presence to promote their movies and television shows. Even Sanaa Lathan admitted on a podcast recently that this is the case for her. The Love and Basketball star said that she is an introvert and has to “fight to not be a hermit.”
I admire people who are comfortable with being unattached to SM. That one gesture speaks volumes about them. A longtime friend of mine has never been on Facebook or Instagram, although she has a quite a following on Twitter and LinkedIn. I commend her for having such dedication to her career and the discipline to hold on to what she deems is important. While I do take occasional breaks from SM, it isn’t long before I’m right back at it. I do set limits, however – especially when I have a lot of work on my plate.
Another friend told me that she had to disconnect from SM during the pandemic, as it was better for her mental health. How awesome is that? She did admit, however, that the NewsBreak app has replaced Facebook for her and keeps her up to all hours looking like this:
A lot of people get their “fix” from SM, but it can be a double-edged sword these days. Enter – the algorithm. It’s when the “powers that be” control whose posts you see and whose you don’t. Unfortunately, this has caused some confusion. I have seen some people share posts that ask anyone who can see it to comment, so they can “shake up the algorithm.” Does it work? I don’t know. What I do know is that people choose who they want to engage with on SM. If you’re anything like me, you might not give too much credence to an algorithm. When it’s time to clean house, you clean house. And that’s on – what do they say? Mary and that little lamb!
Whether you’re caught up in the trap or not, SM is here to stay. But not every moment deserves to be shared with the world. I enjoy savoring those just for me and the ones I love.
Knowing how much time you are willing to dedicate to SM is a major step in the right direction. It’s quite necessary in order to regain some semblance of control over your life.
I’ll leave you with that.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to share this blog post to my social media pages.
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