A close friend of mine was waiting for the elevator in his office. When the doors opened he noticed a co-worker of his already in the elevator taking it to a higher floor. He smiled and nodded at her but neither said anything more as he stood next to her.
This was the moment he knew it was time to quit Facebook. #deletefacebook
He realized he knew everything about this women. Not just her name and which department within the company she worked for. But her husband and children’s names. Where they went on their last vacation, and what she cooked for dinner the night before. He knew all this but still didn’t have enough of a real relationship with her to actually say any words to her.
This is the result of being “friends” on Facebook but barely acquaintances on social media.
There are many who actually use social media to connect with real people in their lives and to engage with brands and businesses that they care about. These people will benefit from the role technology plays in their lives.
For so many others, social media creates complications and compromises meaningful contact.
Despite the social concerns and data privacy issues, Facebook continues to grow. USA Today report that “the number of people who log into Facebook at least once a month hit 2.2 billion as of March 31, up 13% year over year. That’s growth of 70 million monthly active users last quarter despite the #deletefacebook movement.”
In contrast, while there is an increase in the number of overall users, the amount of time people are spending on Facebook is declining by as much as 50 million minutes each day. Much of this can be attributed to the hostile online environment during the last election and its’ lingering effects.
More people but fewer minutes.
Social media is a tricky tool and needs to be used properly. Have you benefited from Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat? Has it helped your productivity and relationships or increased your stress & anxiety? Comment your thoughts below.