I’ve Forgotten Why

I used to love all things social media. But lately I’ve forgotten why.

Blogging. Instagram. Twitter. Facebook.

Slowly over time they’ve all made me weary. So much so that I can hardly remember what I loved so much about them in the first place…

I think I loved how it allowed me to connect with people. But lately it seems like all we are doing is showing others the people we are connected with. What used to feel like connecting and collaborating, now feels like grandstanding, posturing and some good old fashioned name-dropping.

I think I loved how it allowed me to let others in. But lately it seems like it is more often used to make others feel left out. The birthday parties. The girl’s weekends. The conference meet-ups. We all seem to hover unknowningly between victim and abuser in this unending cycle of adolescent-angst-inducing “look how much fun I am having with @soandso, wish you were here, oops, so sorry you weren’t invited.”

I think I loved how it allowed me to savor experiences. But lately it seems like in sharing them I have to put a big ‘ol pause on the savoring. Taking a minute to craft the perfect tweet, instagram, and Facebook post, forces me step out of the conversation and pick up my phone {and let’s be honest once the phone is picked up, I’m 75% working and 25% savoring}.

I think I loved how it introduced me to new ideas. But lately it seems like it just introduces me to new disagreements. Everyone is so busy passing along their personal biases and agendas and ripping to shreds “the other side”, that we’ve all forgotten that is in fact possible to agree to disagree.

So…how about you? Do you still love all things social media? Or are you like me, and you’ve forgotten why it was once so enchanting?

And…what are your tips and rules for engaging in a way that is life-giving instead of life-draining?