Yes, I fully understand the irony of this. Just weeks after hosting the Social Media Conference Suriname 2018, during which we highlighted and celebrated the power of Social Media for organizations and our society, I decide to go Social Media MIA. Now, before we get sentimental about, you decide to test me by tagging me on every social platform possible or get mad for any reason whatsoever, let’s elaborate a little on this decision.
I’ve been using Social Media for around 13 years now (a little bit longer if you count PartyPeeps). While I spend a reasonable amount of time on Facebook, YouTube, Hi5 and Hyves, I never considered a career in Social Media marketing while I was studying. My original Facebook account, which was set up because I wanted to see the pictures of a night out in Miami in 2006, was never really actively used like I would now. The first time I would speak as a Social Media marketing trainer was a full 5 years later, when Facebook released the Facebook timeline and Google+ was still considered the next big thing. Since 2011, my time on Social Media has continued to grow rapidly. I started properly using Twitter in late 2013, LinkedIn grew alongside my career and in the past years, I’ve taken multiple swings at understanding YouTube as a Social Media channel. Not to mention the rise of Instagram and Snapchat, my commitment to create awareness for sites as ApuraNetworks and Steemit, and even a couple of Musical.ly’s in between. By the beginning of 2018, there were at least 8 separate channels that demanded some form of (daily) attention.
As you can imagine, Social Media has become my life. From creating content, consulting and training, researching and organizing events, it is a constant in my life. But, having Social Media by your side day-in-day-out does also bring two things that are currently limiting my control over time:
1) Social technology
2) Content consumption
Ad 1. I often preach about the positives of social technology and how the world can be improved when technology is used in a proper way. However, too connected can also be a curse. While social technology eases social procedures by making contact quicker, it does often lower the quality of the interaction. Probably the best example of this are Facebook birthday wishes, which has made the quantity of wishes explode to the extend that a birthday wish has become something that is being quantified instead of being valued.
Ad 2. This a probably the biggest time sink. Being directly linked to Social Media often means having to be up to date about what’s going on in the Social Media landscape, both internationally and locally. Meaning you have to understand the feelings of both Drake and Byciel Waatzaam to fully know what’s going on. Now please understand that the difference between knowing what’s hot and binge watching Liza on Demand is a relatively thin line for some of us.
So… While it is fun and I enjoy being a consumer of good quality content and an avid user of social technology, I really need a break.
Wifi is a blessing, but just a much a curse. Same goes for smart phones. Same goes for Social Media. Time spend on a screen is time lost for personal interaction. Most importantly, those surrounding us. For me personally, more quality time with my wife, my daughter and my son. That’s why I need a break.
But also.. a break to structure everything and prepare myself for the last months of 2018. A break to spend time on things that I value most. A break from constant distractions that continuously control my life, sometimes for better but often for worse. A break that takes the foot of the gas pedal to enjoy of bit of the scenery as well.
So, I’m saying goodbye, until August. Meaning:
– No Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Steemit and/or any Social platform which allows interaction
– No use of third party apps linked to my social media accounts
– And the hardest omission, no Whatsapp either
Going this extreme will definitely provide several challenges, but change sometimes calls for such measures.
Time to go offline…
