There are plenty of people out there today that use social media to its fullest. They want to learn about the world and the people in it, and they want to stay in touch with their friends and family members who live far away or who they don’t get to talk to that often because they’re all busy with their daily lives.
Recently, there has been talk of becoming addicted to social media. While that makes a good headline, it’s probably not the most accurate description of what’s actually taking place. Addiction is a serious issue, and using a social media site frequently doesn’t actually fit the criteria of addiction.
Still, there are concerns with the overuse of social media sites and the kinds of effects (both good and bad) that social media has on people.
- People like to interact with others. Even if you don’t get out much or have a large group of friends, you’re human – and humans are inherently social creatures. It’s good for your mental health to be around others or at least talk to them online and spend time interacting. It can build self-esteem, make you happier, and allow you to learn more about yourself, other people, and the world around you.
- Group mentality comes into play when people interact through social media. That’s both good and bad, depending on what the group is focused on and what they’re doing about it. It’s very easy for people to start talking to one another about a topic and to eventually start thinking alike. Mobs are started that way, but so are successful business ventures – it’s all in what the people are interested in and what their plans for the future are.
- It’s also very possible for people to feel as though they have others who care about them when they use social media. There’s compassion involved on many sites where people get to know one another. Be careful, though, because there are also scammers who will prey on the compassion of others and cheat people out of money and possessions.
- Social media only affects you to the extent that you let it. If you find yourself getting too involved with social media, take a break for a while and go do something else. You should balance the time you spend in online social networks with the time you spend in community and family activities in the real world.
Mental health can be helped by social media, but it can also be hindered if people spend too much time online. When you find a balance, you’ll be much better off, and so will the people you have relationships with. Don’t underestimate the value of social media interactions, though, especially for people who don’t like to get out much or can’t frequently leave their houses. It’s one of those areas where you can find lots of social media resources online to help you learn and pursue it further.
People who are confined to their homes can help avoid depression and see other benefits from being active in online social networks where they can get support from others and have a compassionate audience of understanding listeners.
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You can’t escape from social media these days, at least not if you work heavily on the Web like I do. Social media is great for marketing, business networking, staying on top of personal connections, and finding new and interesting information. But with that information comes a serious slap to your productivity.
The problem? There can be too much information; too many people vying for your attention; too many messages bombarding you from all directions. Social media can be as much a distraction as a valuable tool. So let’s explore that today — social media noise.
What is Social Media Noise?
Social media noise is all of the social media information and interaction that distracts you from the information or connections you really want or need.
For example, let’s say you like to access Twitter through their Web platform. You follow 5000 people. You can’t possibly read every tweet from every person nonetheless respond and share your own. All of those tweets that you don’t really care about are just noise. Social media noise just means you’re getting hit with too much — more than you can realistically process and respond to in a way that would keep you actively involved in those conversations.
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Staying Engaged While Eliminating Excess Noise
Weeding through the noise in social media doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are a few ideas:
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You can't keep up with everything all the time. (Credit: BigStockPhoto.com)
Stop using every social media tool that comes along. Narrow it down to the best places to reach your target audience or market. That might not involve using the biggest social networks, but sticking to a niche focus where the conversations are more targeted.
- Decrease the size of your network. Bigger isn’t always better. If you can’t stay actively engaged with your network, it might be time to trim the fat. Sure, you can’t stop other people from following you, but if you can’t keep up with those you’re following, it might be time to get more selective.
- Set aside dedicated social networking time. Use that time to check your Twitter account, Facebook account, blog comments, or whatever you want. And then stop. That’s it. You’re finished until tomorrow (or at least until you complete whatever other tasks are on your plate for the day).
- Make the tools work for you. On Twitter for example, you can break your network up into lists. So you can focus the conversations you take part in throughout the day (perhaps following up with colleagues during work hours and personal contacts later on). Feed readers do a similar thing by helping you sort through noise in the blogosphere.
- Search. If you’re looking for something specific, search for it. Don’t manually dig through information cluttering your network.
Sorting through the social media noise is just that — sorting. You’ll sort through millions of profiles to decide who to friend or follow. You’ll sort through countless messages every day to decide what’s worth reading and responding to and what’s not. You’ll sort, you’ll aggregate, you’ll follow, you’ll unfollow. That’s just life in the social media space.
How do you stay on top of all of your social media connections without becoming lost in the noise all day long? Share some of your tips for more productive social media use in the comments.
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