With social media can you get quiet anymore?
Omar Gollaga (@omarg) of the Austin American Statesman writes this morning of an Austin social media consultant who is going cold turkey on social media. Deleted her accounts at Twitter, Facebook, Google+ Pinterest, and more.
No doubt Vicki Flaugher’s change of profession to one dealing with joint ventures was part of the reason for burning the boats, but there was something more.
She was missing her physical workouts and was feeling “digitally exhausted.” From Flaugher’s last post:
Many have confided in me that they cannot get quiet anymore. They are compelled to stay in the noisy space because they fear being out of the loop. They dread being alone. They long for real connection but feel overloaded by superficial exchanges. They miss a handshake, a friendly hug — the simple joy of being touched in real life … They know all that is somehow not quite right.
I’ll not eliminate social media from my life. It’s how I learn, how I meet people I want to get to know in real life, and how I better get to know the people I know in real life.
I don’t dismiss Flaugher’s insight either. I’m making a concerted effort to get out running rather than catch up on those last feeds. I’m trying to get out of my ‘social media chair’ on the weekends and do things with and for Mrs. RLHB.
I am also focusing my effort on those I’d like to get to know better. Like a busy conference room, I’d rather get to know one person well, than 5 superficially. It may mean not ‘connecting’ with all those who follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn. But even attempting to do so is shallow, at best.
For most of lawyers, you need not worry a lick about the noise of social media – except as to learning how to filter your feeds. You’ve got far too much going on to get all consumed in social media.
But for those of you who are ‘on’ all your waking hours, you’ll want to find ways to eliminate the noise.