How to Use Social Media Mindfully

When I was looking for inspiration for this week’s “writer’s choice” assignment, I came across the article, “Ten Mindful Ways to use Social Media” by Lori Deschene (@TinyBuddha). Now, as a practicing Catholic, I don’t know much about the “Buddha” thing, but this article is chock-full of wisdom we can all take into our  own social media strategy.

The first thing that caught my attention in the article, before even reading the ten tips, were Deschene’s words, “I’ve realized, however, that the greatest lesson we can all learn is that less is enough.” She is absolutely right about that. There are so many social media sites vying for our attention (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, among others) that it is tempting to join them all. Yet, we only have so much time in a day and inevitably we will either stretch ourselves too thin trying to participate in them all or we will give up on social media all together. The best strategy, instead, would be to pick two or three of our favorites and stick to those. If we choose wisely, and concentrate on the ones that fit our purposes and goals, we will be less stressed, more focused, and hopefully get the results we seek out of them.

Out of the ten tips, two particularly stood out for me. The first was tip #2, “Be Your Authentic Self.” If you spend any time online, you know it is very easy to spot a phony a mile away – someone who is only out for him/herself. As Deschene alluded to, no one wants to connect with someone with an agenda. People want to connect with people who can (and will be) themselves and who will add value to the conversation.

The second tip that resonated with me was #8, “Use Social Media Sparingly.” This tip struck me because one of my words” for 2014 is “intentional” and that is exactly the point of this tip. You cannot be in two places at once, even if one of those places is online. Strive to be intentional in the use of your time online and off. If you are with friends, be present to your friends. If you are working, focus on your work. If you are having fun, have fun! Then, when it is time to be online, be fully present online. Trust me, if you do that instead of dividing your attention, you (and the people you are with) will get more out of whatever it is you are doing.

Deschene’s offers eight other tips that are just as good so I encourage you to read the full article. I would also like to give you a tip of my own: turn the notification signal off. This is especially important for those who can’t resist the temptation of checking their email or social media accounts every time it dings. I remember suggesting that to someone and he was horrified at the thought. He couldn’t imagine not getting his notifications or looking at them right away. The truth is, you don’t have to be a slave to your phone or computer’s notification system. The world won’t end if you miss an update. :) So, turn it off and choose for yourself when you want to participate in social media.

The article is all about using our time on and off line wisely and mindfully so that we live our lives fully and consciously rather than mindlessly and reactively. Good advice, that!

Now it’s your turn. What’s your tip for using social media mindfully? Do share it in the comments!

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Brain image from public domain

Social media image from public domain

Article Review: "Why London Comes Last in Social Media"

Many of the literature classes that I have taken so far at Georgian Court University have mentioned, either in passing or in depth, about the influence and importance of Britain, particularly during the Victoria Era, when Britain owned a good portion of the known world. Moreover, for a long time, London was the pulse of invention, the creator of trends and wielded a great influence over the arts. Although it is true that Britain (or London itself) does not exert the same impact it once had, it still is a major player in all things “cool” and/or “up and coming.” Therefore, I was very interested in reading the article “Why London Comes Last in Social Media City Rankings.” I was curious to know why a city, which is known for its influence and being ahead of trends, would lag so far behind in the world of social media.

London's Big Ben

The article, examening a  German study, seeks to find out exactly that. Using the “social media services provided by the governing bodies of 31 major cities around the world,”  researchers from Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany “measured the number of different types of social media account that each city publishes, the amount of activity on these accounts and the number of followers. They also look at the links to and from city social media accounts and their websites.” In all the social media outlets they measured, London came in dead last. Why?

Disappointingly, article leaves the reader wondering. The article title is “Why London Comes Last in Social Media City Ranking?” and yet it does not answer its own question. The article suggests that the researchers could not find enough internet activity, which is unlikely, or that “Perhaps London and its eccentric mayor, Boris Johnson, need to learn a little more about social media,” which is possible but unlikely as well. That is how the article ends, abruptly, with no clear answer or attempt of an answer as to why London is last.

The comments, however, were interesting and enlightening. Several suggest that London is last in social media because it is first in real-person interaction. One commenter, Archie, writes, “Yeah, Londoners are too busy being actually social face to face rather than fake social on junk like Twitter etc.”

One commenter, shattered2016 asserts, “British police will swoop down and interrogate you and if they find that one of their seeping Orwellian "offensive speech laws" has been violated, they can put you in prison and impoverish you. That's why people don't use social media much in the UK!” He goes on to tell the story of a man who was interrogated for eight hours for a cheeky comment made on social media. Now I do not know if what the commenter says is true, but if it is, it would sure put a damper on social media usage! 

Other commenters say that most people in London do not use “London” to describe where they are. ray.thackeray writes in his comment, “It's pretty simple. Most people in London don't say "London" much. They say Chelsea. Or Fulham. Or Wandsworth, Or Kensington. Or Victoria. Or The City. Or any number of tube stations. Or Cromwell Road. Or Piccadilly. Or the Strand. See where I'm going with this?” That would explain why, the researchers did not find much online activity for London. 

Overall, the article was an interesting, if not satisfying. It was interesting to look at the chart over the article and see the different social media usages from cities around the world. I never would have guessed that the inhabitants of Berlin, Germany were such powerhouse Twitter users or that the people of Kuala Lumar had a presence on Flickr! Still, I do wish that the article had fulfilled its intended purpose and  either actually explained why London is dead last in social media or gave a more thoughtful hypothesis as to why the author thought London is last in social media. 

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(Big Ben Image in Public Domain)