It may be hard to believe, but I know several people who do not have social media (SM) profiles. That’s right – they are among us. I often wonder how the non-social media folks decided not to jump on the bandwagon. Did they somehow know that SM would one day govern their lives and they just couldn’t fathom such a travesty? Well, it may have been a conscious effort for some, but others may have had a different experience. It might have gone something like this: They came. They saw. They said, “No, thank you.”
Whatever the reason, this elite group (at least they are in my eyes) managed to outrun the trap. I know that “trap” is an interesting choice for a word, especially when I, like many other creators, rely on social media for the kind of exposure that is needed to get the word out about our work. That aside, I won’t lament about the “evils” of social media because that horse has been beaten to death and has long since been buried.
What I will say is this: For those of us who have chosen this life (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc.), these platforms have become an integral part of our existence. So much so, that we can barely let a day go by without checking in. It starts with a notification. We hear that bell, and everything around us stops. Classical conditioning at its finest. Pavlov would be so proud. Before we open that app, we think to ourselves, let me check this right quick! And that usually leads to us mindlessly scrolling our timelines. Sometimes it’s just for a moment – other times, we get caught up in a never-ending barrage of birthday wishes, anniversary shout outs, hearts, laughs, and thumbs ups
