Digital Detoxing - Social Media Age Necessity or Hollow Fad?

BY Paul O’Mahony

A very common complaint about modern society is that we're all a bit too connected.

 I mean sure, social media has enabled us to forge friendships without borders, set up businesses with no fixed office and gain unlimited access to infinite animal GIFs, but is a life spent staring at screens turning us all into the digital undead?

Some seem to think so, which is part of the reason why 'digital detox' camps have suddenly come into existence. What's digital detoxing? Glad you asked, it's essentially a retreat you go to where you completely relinquish your technological tethers, no computers, no phones,  no smartwatches, not even a solitary FitBit. 

It's an intriguing idea, if not a particularly revolutionary one, after all that's how weekend retreats used to work by default, back when none of this technology was as portable, or permanently hooked up to the grid. There are a few examples of this that are just retreats which give you the option of uncoupling yourself from the web, but many newer iterations do actually make it their main prerogative, such as Camp Grounded.

Camp Grounded has 4 sites: Mendocino in California, Cold Spring in upstate New York, Hendersonville in North Carolina and Marble Falls in Texas. All of them follow the same ethos - beautiful surroundings, activities that make adults feel like big kids and absolutely zero internet or digital access until you leave.

It's an intriguing idea, but is there any merit to it beyond a few days bumming around in forests and lakes? Seemingly there very much is. Evidence has suggested that people who take more time out from their digital proclivities forge better relationships, have improved mental health and are generally more productive. Like the Radiohead song, but without the deliberate irony. 

Many companies have actually adopted digital detoxing as a form of company vacation, which will sound familiar if you've ever seen The Thick of It. More and more, digital dependency is becoming a recognised condition among psychologists, and social media has a particularly active roll in it. The need to scroll through a news feed several times a day, watch a status update to see the likes trickle in, or even just wait to see when someone sees a message are all on the more severe end of the spectrum. 

The beauty of 'digital detoxing' is that it needn't be something you have to seek out. It's as simple as just taking some time away from screens, for a few hours, a day or a weekend, as long as people know they won't be able to get hold of you. You could even just turn all your push notifications off so that only calls and texts come through, cutting out anything that you can wait to look at until later. Give it a try some time, you might find yourself feeling very refreshed, and less square-eyed.

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16:30:00 - By Vincent 0

The 9 Reasons People Procrastinate With Social Media

by Juliet McEwen Johnson

We all know by now, that when you make a habit of connecting with potential customers little and often, on topics that they care about, you increase the likelihood of them doing business with you. That could be 5 minutes each network per day. 5 minutes on each of the 5 major networks is less than half an hour; why do most of us drag our feet on such a simple way to increase our online visibility and build our business? Procrastination.

Here are 9 reasons why we all procrastinate about social media, and how we all need to get over ourselves and just do it.

1. Anxiety
   
   We worry that we'll say the wrong thing. We worry that there won't be anyone to talk to. We worry that we won't look smart. But we don't have to be smart; we just have to be helpful, kind, polite and supportive.
2. Fear of Addiction
   
   This is a legit fear; Pinterest in particular can take you down a series of rabbit holes as you explore more and more beautiful images and ideas. The answer is a stopwatch or kitchen timer. I like a real timer; the online versions work just as well. It is a discipline, like exercise and dieting. And in this case we are only asking ourselves for 5 minutes per network. I do mine across the day as I transition from project to project.
   
3. Dislike of Social Networking
   
   There are many people still using "push" marketing in the social landscape and it is annoying. That does not have to be you. Your job is to engage and connect. Contribute to those who are interested in talking with you. Have you found all of your top customers on Twitter, for example? To keep up with them in 140 characters at a time can be done by any introvert!
4. The Belief That It Is a Waste of Time
   
   In the offline world, how often do you have to connect with someone before they will buy? They say it takes 7 touches. Online is no different, except that your butt hasn't left your desk chair and it's taken a lot less time!
   
5. Disorganization
   
   You are simply trying to connect with people - so a comment, a like, a plus one, or a re-tweet all will get your name in front of the owner of the content you are appreciating. It can be simple.
6. Distraction
   
   The social networks are designed to delight you; you must expect distraction and use it to your advantage. Whenever pulled off task, simply comment on the new discovery and see if this is someone you would like to connect with.
   
7. Reactivity
   
   There is nothing wrong with reacting to discussions already taking place. Social media is about listening and engaging before you can put your own content out there with a sales message. The daily business of social media IS reacting, being where the conversation is already taking place.Reactivity is a plus, and should not be cast as a reason to procrastinate.
8. Lack Of Pro-activity and Planning
   
   For all those of us who need a plan, here it is - take 5 minutes and connect with as many people as you can in that time frame on their topics. When you have done that for 3 days straight, you have earned the right to plant a sales link. The end. It is that easy.
   
9. Laziness
   
   Let's face it: we all want a magic pill. I would like a robot that cooks gourmet, healthy food and cleans the house, most especially the toilets, but that era has not arrived yet. It will. Until then, we all have to do those kinds of tasks ourselves. After I have cleaned my own house a few times, I certainly appreciate it a lot more when someone else does it!

So, too, with social media, when you take the time to put in the work, even only a little bit, you do see results and you will be more appreciative as a result. You will have earned the results, which is a wonderful feeling! Every time you achieve a goal, the joy is well worth the effort in retrospect. You'll see

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16:00:00 - By Vincent 0

Social Media, FOMO and the Perfect Storm for the Quarter-Life Crisis

By Rebecca Strong

“Your twenties are the best time in your life. You have nothing to worry about yet.” — my delusional uncle, December 2010.

For some, it hits right after they’re handed a college diploma. Set free in the “real world,” they feel lost — overwhelmed by their options and flailing around trying to figure out what to do with their degrees (all while dealing with a pile of debt). For others, the panic sweeps in a slow burn and sets in later. They watch as one by one, their friends get engaged or achieve professional success, leaving them feeling unsure of the decisions they’ve made, the path they’ve taken and ultimately, perhaps a bit inadequate.

While the term may have only been coined in recent years, it’s become increasingly clear that the quarter-life crisis is a very real thing. The phenomenon, which can occur anytime between one’s early 20s and early 30s, is characterized by disappointments, insecurities, loneliness and depression. And a study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Development found that 39 percent of men and 49 percent of women reported feeling such a crisis in their twenties. Furthermore, according to a survey conducted by Gumtree.com, 86 percent of young people admitted feeling under pressure to succeed in their relationships, finances and jobs before hitting 30, 32 percent felt under pressure to marry and have children by the age of 30, and 21 percent wanted a complete career change.

At a British Psychological Society meeting, researchers broke down the quarter-life crisis into five key phases based on their studies of various individuals who’d experienced one:

• Phase 1: A feeling of being locked in by your life choices — whether a job, relationship, or both — as though you have been living your life on autopilot.
• Phase 2: A rising sense of “I’ve got to get out” and that change is possible.
• Phase 3: Quitting whatever is making you feel trapped and embarking on a “time out” period where you try out new experiences to figure out who you want to be.
• Phase 4: A period of rebuilding your life.
• Phase 5: Developing and cementing new commitments that better reflect your interests and aspirations.

Of course the trigger — and trajectory — for these crises is slightly different for every individual. But on the whole, it’s a remarkably similar experience, and in some ways, seems to have become a sort of rite of passage. In fact, I’m hard pressed to think of a single friend who I haven’t witnessed experience some form of this phenomenon already. Some of us are still treading through it, just trying to stay above water. Some have made it through unscathed to the other side.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how different the life of a 20-something is now than it was 30 or 40 years ago, for our parents. Sure, some of that has to do with the economy/job market, changing social pressures, shifting gender roles, etc. But a lot of it has to do with technology. More specifically, it has to do with social media.

Log onto Facebook in your 20s and you’re bound to see someone flashing their engagement ring. Check LinkedIn and you can’t escape noticing your old colleague just got promoted. Scroll through Instagram and you might come across your college roomie vacationing with his or her S.O. at some chic resort in St. Bart’s. Social media fuels our hunger for fantasy, and we can lose ourselves in it. But we’re only seeing a carefully crafted slice of someone’s life — which they’ve probably slapped a filter on — and it can make us feel like we’re falling short when the fact is, we’re not seeing the whole picture.

In short, many of us are suffering from permanent fear of missing out. “FOMO,” which was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013, refers to the feeling of “anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere.” And certainly, for someone on the brink of — or in the throes of — a quarter life crisis, being constantly confronted with others’ successes on social media will only fuel this.

So even though our parents may have been plagued by the fear that somewhere, someone is having a better time, thanks to social networks, we millennials have at our fingertips what we consider proof that someone has a better job, a better car, a better relationship, is making more money, etc. No surprise here: A 2014 study in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions found a correlation between higher social media usage and depression/anxiety. Furthermore, research by Psychology Today reveals that key themes in relation to the negative consequences of FOMO include self-identity problems, loneliness, negative self-image, feelings of personal inadequacy, disconnection and jealousy. Sound familiar? They’re almost identical to the symptoms of the quarter-life crisis.

Is giving up on social media the answer? Not for everyone. Staying connected to people going through the same crises can be crucial for remembering that you’re not alone in this, and better yet, that will you will get through it. The key seems to be a shift in mindset — realizing that this phase of life is not one-size-fits-all, that the so-called life milestones ingrained in our brains by societal norms are certainly not anything to measure our happiness against.

At the core of the quarter-life crisis is the burning feeling that you need to already have achieved certain things by a certain age. Newsflash: you define your own success and happiness. And more importantly, the success and happiness of others that you think you’re witnessing on social channels isn’t necessarily a reflection of their reality. You don’t know the incessant arguments those newlyweds are already having — and they certainly wouldn’t tweet about them. You don’t know that your former fraternity brother who just posted on Facebook about his high-paying job is secretly miserable because he’s working 14-hour days. You don’t know what dreams the young, smiling mom with her Instagrams of the seemingly perfect family gave up on to have kids a little sooner than she was ready for. In other words, those people you think have it “all figured out”? They don’t know what the hell they’re doing either. It’s just that people choose only to highlight the most glamorous snippets of their lives on these sites.

So instead of wasting time comparing yourself to others, spend it figuring out what’s meaningful to you. What makes you tick. What kind of change you want to see in the world. And remember this: synonyms for the word “crisis” include a turning point, a crossroads. It may not feel like it, but this painful phase is the beginning of something great: taking your life back.

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11:00:00 - By Vincent 0

FOMO Fueling Teen Social Media Addiction

A new study suggests teens are crippled by the fear of missing out, or FOMO. This drives more social media usage. 

09:30:00 - By Vincent 0