This social media thing is pretty neat and a lot of positive things come from social media. Heck, most of our daily visitors come directly from social media links, so how can I complain? I can’t? I love social media—it helps Her View From Home grow and provides the opportunity for all our writer’s stories to get in front of thousands of new eyes each day. It’s great, it really is…but I have a love/hate relationship with it.
While there’s a good case to be made that social media is an essential part of any business, there are some cons that come with it on the personal side of things as well.
For example, social media is free…but my time isn’t. Where does the time go when I sit down to check my Facebook notifications!? I sit down for a quick “glance” at what’s new, and POOF an hour has passed and I now have one less hour of my day to spend on actual productive and beneficial things.(I can’t even begin to tell you all just how many hours/days of my life has been ripped from my life because of Pinterest. Twitter takes the time away from my husband and Instagram is my go-to time flyer byer while doing my cardio at the gym.)
Social media allows me release my inner stocker—I am able to keep track of what my friends are doing! (I am actually quite skilled at the whole stocking thing!) How else would I get to see the important things in life like knowing that Laura is at the gym for the second time today or Jacob is complaining about having to study at the local coffee shop with his pile of books during finals? I can even see that Leanne is having an incredible adventure traveling to Hawaii while I sit here wasting the day away.
In addition, many people check their social media platforms right before bed and as soon as they open their eyes in the morning. I used to do that, not any more. Now I have more important things to do, like check the actual Her View From Home site for an update on stats and new posts being published! (It’s way more interesting to me.)
But really guys, does our society these days have a problem. I can’t help but notice people on their social media while standing in line, during their breaks, at the gym, in class or even when they are out socializing in public at a bar or restaurant! Sometimes I am one of them. It’s craziness!
Is this the new norm? Is it acceptable? Is it bad for our health somehow? Probably. What isn’t bad for our health these days? Do I really have a point to make? No, I don’t. I just needed to get a few things off my chest.
Social media is becoming an increasingly large part of our lives and other’s around us. I am scared that it is taking the place of face-to-face interaction. There are people who will interact with me on Facebook, but face-to-face it is hard to get a word out of them—what!? I just can’t be okay with that. I like talking too much!
Yes, social media is convenient and a great way to stay in touch with friends and family, but it is also easy to waste your day away and lose track of the important things in life that are happening each and every day. You know, “the little things in life”—I don’t want to miss those things. I live in the moment and I enjoy every single minute of it. I am aware of what is going on around me and it is easy for me to find the beauty in it!
Like I said, what is the point of this post? I don’t really know, but I do know that the trend that is happening with social media is a little bizarre. Maybe it is time to take a break and occasionally log off? Maybe I am crazy. All I know is that I can and do log off every so often. Some of my best days are when I forget my phone at home and spend a day being free of all dings, rings and vibrates! Those are the days I love the most.
Thanks for hopping on the new and improved Her View From Home site today and spending just a little time with me over a great cup of coffee. Now get off your computer, leave those social media sites for another day (right after you push “like” and “share” below) and get out and enjoy the beautiful weather outside and the amazing life around you!
*Do you feel like you need to cut back on social media? Do you feel like others need to do the same? What benefits have you gotten out of living in the moment away from you social media sites for a bit?