Orfi Media team talks: Get off social media
We’d like for you to get to know the Orfi Media team. So, we’ve asked the guys to write a short blog post on a subject close to their hearts. Social media manager Sophie takes aim at… social media.
There is no doubt in my mind that you stumbled upon this article while aimlessly scrolling through social media.
We never stop. Whether it’s during our commute, at home, at work or even out for dinner with friends.
Social media has gone from a place where we chose to share odd moments from our lives, to a place where people feel they have to post to PROVE.
To prove that your life is good. Your life is busy. You’re ‘living your best life’.
But what we’re failing to see is that social media is just a snapshot of people’s highlights, the one good photo out of 26 that you allow to make it online as a candid shot in time.
It’s not real life. Yet we compare just the same.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love social media – it’s my job, so I’d be a hypocrite to say its all bad. It can be the most amazing and powerful place to be.
A social media page can inspire, inform and motivate all in the space of a few clicks.
My main issues with social media, and how we use it, fall into two categories.
_COMPARISON
I was in my early teens when Instagram introduced itself to the world. It was a platform where you’d take a selfie and play with 15 different filters for the sake of three people seeing it.
Now we wake up, instantly unlock our phones and see posts from our friends doing amazing things, in amazing locations, in amazing clothes, just being AMAZING!
As we lie in bed shaking off the 6am alarm, getting ready for a day of work.
Subconsciously we’re thinking “look how amazing their life is, how much fun they have, all the things they get up too, he’s at the gym again!? I’ve only made it there once this year!” Then later that day you post that picture from Saturday night of you laughing with friends, looking fantastic, living the life, and the likes and comments make you feel better.
We forget so easily that none of it is real. IT’S NOT REAL.
It’s not real life because no one posts themselves sat in their sweatpants on a Saturday night smashing a litre of ice cream watching Louis Theroux. Because that’s what everyone else is really doing. Right?
_TIME
I hold my hands up, I’ve been so guilty of this in the not so recent past, spending hours upon hours scrolling through social media, putting a film on and suddenly realising its an hour and a half in and you have no clue who shot who and why!
Or heading out with your friends to catch up and you all just spend the time scrolling through your phone and not enjoying the time, in the here and now.
Just think how many conversations with your flatmate, family, partner or friends you’ve missed out on because you were staring at your phone the whole time.
What does that say to those people? That what’s on your phone screen is more important then them. Not cool.
Now I put my phone down as much as possible. I turn off notification sounds. I don’t look at social media until at least 30 minutes after I’ve got up and started my day.
I don’t need to see where Sarah from secondary school is jetting off to this week – what I need is to focus on me. How I’m feeling, what I want to achieve that day, what exciting things I have planned.
We’ve lost the ability to just be. And at some stage we’ll realise how important a quality that is.
Social media is a platform I’m passionate about, a platform that business individuals and groups can use to express themselves creatively, inform like never before and share a story that can be so emotive it changes someone’s day.
But just remember there’s a thing called life going on away from your screen.
No I promise you there really is. Take a look up right now and see for yourself…
Do your digital marketing operations need an overhaul? Get in touch to see how we can help you at hello@orfimedia.com.
