Working Tools 9 - Social Media
Using social media: A hot-button subject right now. One upon which, I am no expert.
Usage
As an individual, I have accounts at Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Micro.blog. I have had, and probably still do own accounts at Google+, Pinterest and Vero. Nero’s Notes posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Lime Training and Consultancy posts to LinkedIn and Twitter.
This post will be be advertised on several of the above feeds. It is very possible that you, much treasured reader, came here via one of these channels. Neither of my businesses have actual shopfronts, they exist online. Whilst not the only channel available to me, online presence is important. It’s worrying therefore, that so many folk appear anti-social media at the moment.
Honestly, I’m conflicted. Facebook, which also owns Instagram and What’s App, an app that I use for Messaging, is attracting all sorts of headlines for the wrong reasons. I’m sure that the vast majority of people at Facebook are lovely human beings, but from the outside, the company is an underhand, toxic, scary nasty thing. It lies, dissembles and ruthlessly exploits consumer ignorance or apathy to trade in private data and manipulate people for profit.
Part of me wants to publicly blow up my Facebook profile and urge everyone I know to do the same. As it’s the company that irks me, rather than the product, that means Instagram and What’s App need to go too. Just as I resolve to leave, my business voice pipes up. “What about customers?” People come to the web shop from Facebook. And from Instagram. Would those people come if there was no presence of these channels?
Hmmmm…Twitter. Twitter is a polarised place. Frankly, often, it’s a horrible place. Navigating Twitter requires a calm mindset and an ability to ‘walk away’. I do participate in some #chats that are positive, fun and useful, but general scrolling on this platform can be fraught. Again, on a personal level, I wouldn’t miss it. I know many people see Twitter as a place that allows the far right too much platform and freedom; my own view is that none of these platforms give a hoot about one side or the other, they are purely focused on engagement – and hate, engages.
Any that follow me might be sceptical of my claims above. For someone who doesn’t like social media, I sure do post a lot on social media. That conundrum is easy, I use an app called Buffer. I will write a separate post on how I do that.
I have been trying to reconcile a position where I don’t want to be wasting time on social media, but I do want to be posting on social media. Such a position feels hypocritical.
Conclusion
Social media is neither good nor bad. It’s both. Rather than feeling that I must walk away from certain platforms, I have been working on designing an ethical use policy. I’ll post about that here too.