I was passing through the kitchen this morning where my wife was watching a morning TV show while eating breakfast. I caught segment on the subject of social media depression. I had never heard this term before. I would like to cite the speaker here, but they didn't mention it at the end of the segment.
The piece was primarily about personal users not business, but it occurred to me as I walking away that this could indeed be an issue for business users as well.
The concept was two-fold and simple.
- While the premise of Social Networking is to connect with others to build relationships, if we're not careful we can become much more isolated than before we started communicating online.
- We engage in comparison. When we see our connections online posting all the wonderful things going on their world, we cannot help but wonder why things are going so well for them - especially if we're in a down or flat time.
The combination of items 1 and 2 have the potential to create an emotional downward spiral which is the gateway to depression.
So - how to avoid it...
Don't Believe It
Whether it's personal or business, people tend to share more good experiences than bad ones.
Just because someone posts about a fabulous vacation (personal) or about a big new account they've landed (business) does not mean that they are "living the dream".
Think about it. While I might be inclined, for example, to post that I've received an industry award, it's not likely that I will post that I lost a bid to one of my competitors.
So take everything in context.
Mix It Up
The thing that the speaker did not mention is that isolation is a choice. If you put all of your networking eggs in the social media basket, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. While I am an avid and devoted Faceblogtweeter, I spend the vast majority of my networking time out and about in the real world.
I can cite at least 3 specific instances where I've met people IRL for the first time and they knew me from my online media. It's a very cool feeling to introduce yourself to someone new at a networking event and they say something like, "Ohh, you're the guy with that funny business newsletter. Could you check and see if I'm still on your list, I haven't seen one in my inbox for a while!"
So while I may write my newsletter in the cocoon of my home office, the interaction I seek is out the door and down the road.
Social Networking should never replace breaking bread, shaking hands and eye contact. It works best when it's just one component. If mixed well, it's a beautiful thing.