Social Media, Is It Becoming a Chore?

The Internet and Social Media has become a way of life for all generations, from the Millennials and Baby Boomers. People are always on the computer or their phones browsing and scrolling through endless content. It isn’t the content that’s the problem, it is the Response. You go a day without responding to some form of communication online, you will be disconnected from the group…your group(s).

Has social media become a chore more than a source of engagement and fun?

“Do I really have this kind of time? But if I disappear from this scene for a couple of weeks, people start emailing to ask if I’ve died. So I keep posting, sharing, tweeting, and liking.” – Dianna Booher, CEO at Booher Research Institute.

Before it was Facebook taking up the majority of your time. Now there are newer introductions to Twitter and Snapchat. Starting to be a trend, LinkedIn has joined the fray of social media conflicts, it has evolved from being a professional platform to a mix of social and business. It is inevitable that human beings want to feel connected, feel belonging with groups of interest and friendship circles. There needs to be certain control and always a place for doing the right thing.

Social Media has integrated into our workplace, the very existence of your company will no longer be as attractive or dominant if you don’t partake in social media activities. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and now Snapchat. As long as users still use social media, companies will be inclined to post, post and post!

Is Social Media doing more Harm than good?

As it stands, the answer is YES if you don’t have self-control.

We could talk for hundreds of pages about social media and their pros and cons…there are just too many facets and parts to it. Workplace social media is a strong presence and needs to be addressed.

It is Stressful. It is unproductive and it has become noise and clutter than communication. Every day you get messages…free talks, free services (trial not real giveaways) and free everything else. It distracts you and it clogs your thinking space; even if you try to avoid it, they invade your thinking.

What can be done about it?

Self-control is the key solution to social media engagement. It is meant to be a source of communication, a way to keep in contact with your colleagues and friends, not a chore. If it has become something you must do rather than something you want to do. Take a step back, take a deep breath and think to yourself…Do you have something more important, more interactive and more REAL to do in your life? For most of you, taking a break could mean so much more than continuing clicking and swiping away at your screens.