Comments on: Social media is NOT that important

By: Frank_Strong

Frank_Strong — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 01:03:50 +0000

@ConnieCermak1 Yeah, I was with you until the last two sentences. Interestingly enough, in my view, everything you wrote supports the antithesis of that conclusion. Clearly social media is a viable means to communicate. Certainly it matters in business, or in whatever organization we might belong. Of course, it’s not going away. However it’s a matter of priorities. Social media at the expense of friends? Of children? Of the things that make us most of all human? I think not. Yet in many cases it does. That’s backwards. We’ve got to master the compulsion. Perhaps the headline should have read “Social media is not THAT important.”

By: ConnieCermak1

ConnieCermak1 — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 20:36:16 +0000

I read your blog a few days ago and decided to sit on it a while just for the sake of fighting my desire to respond too quickly. Talk about a challenge in social patience! I wasn’t even sure I could do it, but what I found in the process was that by waiting, and thinking, and not responding, I was truly able to formulate a better response. And here in lies the rub. God forbid we should hold off on the incoming notifications and risk losing an undefined opportunity, or worse, having our numbers stagnate as a result. Ouch! Many of us are so concerned with providing our clients with a smashing ROI that we sometimes mistake immediacy with efficiency and in rare cases, even authenticity.

Now, to our defense, because I too am an addict, many articles have been written that prove that our bodies cannot decipher tech time. In fact, our bodies were designed to respond to the rhythms in nature. Even chronological time is something that humans invented and acclimated to by way of a clock. But the invention of digital was the beginning of throwing our brains out of sync and as a result, we’re becoming addicted to the pace of technology, and for the adrenaline junkies like Frank (and me) it’s even harder to fight something that’s physiologically invisible. This explains why we tell our friends that we’ll be there “in a minute” while we “quickly” check our e-mail. Two hours later…don’t tell me you haven’t done this? Right?

I love social media enough to make a career of it. And though I enjoy it immensely, I spend my off hours teaching teens the risks of “teching” and driving and how to use Facebook and Twitter to enhance their future, rather than ruin it. Like Carla Gentry said in a recent post in response to Frank, many wonderful things are happening as a result of Social Media, but like Frank said, not only are we risking lives when we Tech and Drive, but we’re also risking future generations and their ability to resolve conflict through meaningful conversation. We’re showing our children by way of example that Facetime is an App, and eye to eye contact is something you see in a mirror. We’re growing a future of children who are distanced and uncommunicative and aren’t connecting by way of intonation and empathy. So do I think that Social Media is Not that Important? On the contrary. I think it’s vitally important, because it is most assuredly NOT going away.

By: Frank_Strong

Frank_Strong — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 00:16:41 +0000

@Krista Yes you have, but then that’s OK! We’re both okay, actually! Thanks for dropping by.

By: Krista

Krista — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 13:27:36 +0000

Seeing as how I am late to the conversation, you can see that I’ve drastically scaled back my social media usage as of lately. It was hard at first, but I had to really prioritize my time at work for my job (where I was recently promoted) and not on fielding tweets and scanning my Google Reader for new posts like an obessive compulsive.

I think we need a self-help book like “I’m OK, You’re OK” for the social media junkies!

By: Why I Remain on the Ad Age 150 Blogger Index | Geoff Livingston's Blog

Why I Remain on the Ad Age 150 Blogger Index | Geoff Livingston's Blog — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 11:01:30 +0000

[...] running a profitable business, and maintaining physical health above this goal. Writing/social media success is fourth on my totem pole. Important, but probably not enough to deliver the necessary [...]

By: Frank_Strong

Frank_Strong — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 00:02:15 +0000

@annelizhannan Distracted? Sounds like a euphemism for dummies. The modern day Charlie Brown wouldn’t even kick Lucy’s football because he’s too busy muddling with his phone!

By: annelizhannan

annelizhannan — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:11:32 +0000

@Frank_Strong I remember a recent post about ‘distracted injuries’ (yes, now a term) stating how the ED visits at hospitals were increasing from people getting hurt while walking with their devices. Falling off curbs, walking into poles, walking into doors resulting in knee, ankle, eye injuries. At first you want to giggle at the absurdity but when you think about the healthcare problems we have it is not so funny. Think about the workmen’s comp costs also with loss of work due to poor personal judgment!

By: Frank_Strong

Frank_Strong — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:58:26 +0000

@annelizhannan Thanks Anneliz; this is really becoming a problem. I remember about the year 2000, being on the campus of American University and suddenly, overnight, it seemed everyone had a cell phone. I feel this is the same way, suddenly, when we look around on the road, everyone seems to have their noses buried in smart phones while driving. It’s crazy!

By: Frank_Strong

Frank_Strong — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:56:14 +0000

@PaulRobertsPAR Oh, yes, Paul the phone settings are critical. I keep meaning to write a post about that — I’ve done something similar — and guess what? It brought my stress level down dramatically. I still have a few — as you can see — but I might just shut them down to…you’ve got me thinking.

By: Frank_Strong

Frank_Strong — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:54:38 +0000

@ginidietrich I’m a stickler for safety checks, Gini. Some of my extracurricular activities might seem extreme, but they are always conducted with great care and attention to detail. As for social media, I really like you phrase, “it’s there for my convenience, not yours.”