This comes down to social media. You probably know I hate those words being used together, because even phonetically they sound fake. (The phrase must have been made in a board room somewhere. Blehh.) Yes I have an Instagram and I post from time to time, but the goal for that is to show what my work looks like and how I use it to take care of my clients better than anyone. Thats it. I do not follow people. I especially don't keep up with news on it. I don't use it to get business either. In fact none of my businesses came from it. It comes from people and from doing good work. It's a slow climb that works just as fast as you need it to when you give it to the One who holds the world; who feeds even the ravens.

Social media (ick!) is just a way to know things first. That is literally never necessary. What a burden to put on yourself!

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Here's why you should examine your situation and think about how you use it.

In a simple example I got hosed at by some friends the other day when I bought tickets to see the Backstreet Boys. Not for liking them, but for not knowing they were coming to Rogers. Remember two sentences ago when I said I had just bought tickets? Well I had already bought tickets! I didn't miss out. I'm going to see them and it wasn't because they told me. By the way, they knew I loved the band and didn't tell me, but despite that I heard from another friend anyway and was able to get tickets as soon as they opened.

Here's the thing, without social media or even a phone - you will always find out what you need to know. It's actually possible and guess what we've all done it before.

Think about it.

It's true with more serious issues too.

My point is I don't need another voice in my head and social media is another thousand all saying the same thing in different ways - in excitement, in fear, in truth and in misinformation. I also don't want information just for the sake of information. Thats' exhausting. I don't need to know what people are doing if I don't know them. Keep your friends close. That's always better than watching them from afar. Hear what they're doing from their own mouth. Even a text is better, because it's directed to you and not the general public.

Social media in times of crisis or in everyday life is too much for me and most people and I just wish we would realize that, because it really helps keep the fear out and let the peace in. It's literally built to psychologically be a burden on you mind and body.

I know it isn't easy to relinquish this. I know cause I did it. The whole time I was thinking, "Will I miss something important?" I honestly didn't know. After almost two years without it, I'm telling you, you will be fine. Think of me as your test dummy and consider it tested. You'll be ok.

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Just a thought.

Brad

Photo by Pinho . on Unsplash

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Update

While the premise of this still remains: "You don't need to be the first to know."

I have found a way to get Instagram in particular to curate only information I want and that is VERY helpful. Let me explain.

While it's true I don't use it to keep up with friends and compare my life to other people or whatever, one thing has really surprised me in last couple years since this post.

You can learn a LOT about how to stay healthy and I mean everything from the things they put in our food to make us dumber/sick, all the way to how to make healthy food like Sourdough bread with a starter! For this reason my wife and I have ONE social media account and we are much better off than we were when I wrote this initially. There is an insane amount of things in your daily life that have toxic chemicals and the best way to grasp that is to keep up with other people who are looking into this. Since the problem is so widespread, it takes a large amount of the populous to find it all.

Social media seems to be the best way to do this. (How about that.)

No, I do not think you need an Instagram for your business and yes I think friends' lives should not be digital, but in a strange turn of events social media has evolved into a search for truth in world plagued with lies and that would be very beneficial thing for everyone - if it was used in that way all the time. you can still very much find lies and find your self comparing your life to others etc...

...but there is a hidden benefit, that was not there before. Ok I think that's fair.

...It still sucks though! Don't get me wrong.

Social media companies take the data you give them and yeah they sell it like crazy, but we've even seen that they used the platform to censor information. Our government even had a backdoor into Twitter where they would tell them what they wanted censored during the 2020 era. Incredible.

So don't ever post pictures of your kids or anything like that. Turn off your location, make your account "private" etc... Find that balance yourself, but absolutely do not just get on there and post whatever of whoever and whenever.

You can certainly use it to absorb good, helpful information. Do not make it a means to send information out though.

As always, thats my two cents. :)