I’m on holidays and writing this from beside the pool. I’ve effectively been offline for 4 days and it’s given me the chance to think a little about social media and the Internet in general and the pace at which it moves these days. I’m not sure about you but my day goes something like this…Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Twitter, Apps, Gmail, blogs, Twitter, repeat, repeat repeat. I know I work in social media but from talking to other people who work online their day is pretty much the same. In some ways social media feels like a Japanese bullet train speeding along at the speed of sound. We’ve all become information junkies who need tiny snippets of information to get us through our day but I wonder is it doing us any good in the long run?
I see people on Twitter from the moment they wake up until the last second before they go to bed and I have to wonder how healthy that is. Are our brains programmed to deal with that sort of information? When you add in smartphones, iPads and increased access to WiFi the information overload is only getting worse. Even places like airplanes where we used to be able to switch off are now getting WiFi and phone access. Is all this information useful or are we just processing tons of information for the sake of it without it adding any real value to our lives?
Meanwhile people’s whole way of working is changing. They look at social networks at work. They check their work emails on their phones while “relaxing” in the evening. People send work emails from the pub on smartphones. Because of social media and improved technology the lines between work and time off are becoming blurred. Again this means our brains are having to process even more information. There is less and less down time.
I don’t think there is such a thing as 9 to 5 with social media either for personal or work use. The train is speeding along and you are either on or off. It’s very hard to just jump off the train for a day and then come back. You always feel like you are missing something. I’ve been off the train for 4 days now and I have to say I feel better for it. My brain feels clear. I don’t miss the information and I’ve gone to old school newspapers to get my news, and I don’t feel too much worse off. I’ve seen plenty of people taking social media “holidays” and I think they might be essential. Sometimes out brains just burn out from information overload and we need to get off the train completely. I’ll be jumping back on the train soon and even though I normally fret about missing the tiniest bit of information or getting out of the loop I don’t think I’ll come back any worse off.
What about you? Are you able to jump off the train every once in a while or can you simply not live without that constant stream of information?
I jumped of the train this holiday for a solid 2 days and it was great. I was able to really just enjoy family and engage in a way that I don’t get to very often. But, I will say that a few days were spend reading e-mails or updating Twitter or handling other work-related issues. It’s hard to “get off the train” for extended amounts of time, but I do enjoy those times when I’m not flying through life on a bullet train!
Oh, I know exactly what you mean by trying to deal with social media overload. Unfortunately, I may fall in the camp of those who seem to be on Twitter all day long and I agree, it is unhealthy after awhile. We have to learn how to break away from it at times. I did take a 2 day break over Christmas weekend, but found when I came back to Twitter, etc., it pulled me right back in. I need to find better ways to manage it. Great article and thanks for sharing your thoughts on this timely topic!
Just to correct, the fastest train in the world is not Japanese but French!
@Aurore DeCourville No-one said anything about a fastest train. Read the article, Aurore.
Thanks for this post. I’ve had one foot off the train (and yes, that does cause tremendous road rash) these last 2 weeks, and have been trying to reevaluate the time I spend online as opposed to the things I should have time to do but don’t because…*I spend too much time online*. I run a small digital strategy consultancy kinda like yours, and I do pride myself in finding awesome web-based solutions for my clients, whether in a marketing sense or a collaboration initiative. But my “work” never shuts off. There’s always something new. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a race to nowhere. On one hand, I see businesses increase their productivity, but the engagement that social media provides is so bite-sized, so fleeting, and so sporadic – - I have to believe that audiences breathe a great sigh of relief when unplugged. And that’s hardly creating relationships, is it?
Whoops – a mention just came in.
:)
It’s hard to jump of the train. The best way is to go somewhere with limited connectivity. However jumping off the train is both relaxing and stressful. Most of the time during vacations, holidays and family breaks, I try to balance by setting a fixed amount of time for Social Media. This way I stay ‘in touch’ and still having time for other stuff.
This is a very good article and it highlights the mega changes that are currently ongoing. Traditional TV is dying, traditional advertising is dying, Yellow Pages is dying, etc, etc, and Social Media is growing and growing.
Why? Because people LIKE it! (Thanks for the idea Facebook)
Just like a real fast moving train, once you’re on it’s hard to get off until the train stops. The main thing to remember is that the Social Media Super Express is NOT stopping.
My wife and I and our two young teenagers spend tons of time in front of screens, because we LIKE it!
If this is our Brave New World, then so be it! We like it, we enjoy the communication with friends and family on different continents, the access to the world of selected entertainment and the endless information at our fingertips. It’s FUN! (Maybe, we’ll get out more in the summer?)
Being from a construction background AND a marketing background, but now focusing much more on marketing, means I now spend MUCH more time in the office in front of the various screens rather than being on site. And you know what? During the winter I really don’t mind!
Social Media and Digital Marketing has changed and is constantly changing the way everyone does business AND, to a certain extent, lives their lives.
This is the future and we should embrace it.
I managed to keep away from computers and lap tops for 2 whole days over Christmas and I did enjoy the break, but 2 days was enough. (Reading the other comments it seems 2 days is about all we can cope with. What does that tell us?)
Check out http://www.constructionmarketinguk.co.uk or see us on Facebook for more thoughts and comments about the Social Media Revolution!
It’s definitely something to consider. I notice myself going onto Twitter on my Droid X while relaxing at night with the wife. She hates it but it’s my time to quickly stay up with what’s going on. Social Media has taken the place that was once taken up by the newspaper. Twitter is faster and quicker to digest.
I haven’t taken a complete sabatical from Social Media but, I when I do I know I’ll feel refreshed.
“I’m on holidays and writing this from beside the pool.” — Niall Harbison
If you’re writing this beside the pool, then you aren’t on holiday.
I am on social media nonstop both for work and my own blog, and it really does get exhausting at times. We interact with people all day, but it’s unsatisfying, and ironically makes us less connected from people in real life. I went home for Memorial Day and decided to keep any social media participation and email responding to an absolute minimum. I had a day of withdrawals, but then I began to feel quite peaceful and relaxed. I was sad when I came home after three nights away and had to pick up the computer again!