Tag: social media

Social media and follower interaction

Is there any point in keeping your social media accounts open?

The cost of interacting is high in terms of attention and time spent. Intense interaction can add to your brand and your followers’ loyalty, but it can also be pure distraction from doing any work that is meaningful.

So we need to be strategic about where we decide to spend our time.

I dislike the combative nature of Twitter. I broadcast for the chimpwithcans account, but don’t take part.

I have a love hate relationship with Instagram. It is the best designed product, but it can be a massive distraction.

I’m too old to know anything about Tiktok, or Snapchat.

I prefer to write than to take pictures or make videos. An English major at university, I enjoy longer forms of expression. Hence the blog. And hence the use of the word “hence”. Ha.

Where do you spend your time and why?

Playtime

Movies are given to us in (usually) 2 – 3 hour chunks. Designed to set aside a whole evening for your entertainment. Conversely, Entrepreneurs and influencers on Tiktok or on Instagram have mastered the quick fire clips and video messages.

Even though there are neuro-chemical tricks going on with Instagram, it is interesting to me that social media often feels like the only form of entertainment that fits into my life right now. To read a book I need to wake up at 5am when the house is quiet. The same with movies or albums. These things need concerted effort from me whereas the Instagram account goes with me wherever I go.

I know this is not revelatory in any way. Mobile phones are convenient…..so what? However when I look at these facts I realize two things. Firstly, I need to manage what’s appearing on my Social media feeds so that the messages I am receiving are of value and not just a trick to keep my brain’s attention. Secondly, I need to make time for books, albums and movies that I still want to have in my life while my kids are young and life is so busy.

That will go some way towards escaping the media jungle of life.

Nearly New Years! Happy Monday chimps.

Keeping it alive

Daily life can most often be distilled down to a single question: should I keep this alive?

Whether it is a pet fish, a job, a relationship, a website: burn the dead wood.

And possibly the goldfish??

Happy Tuesday chimps.

Play Games

Playing games is important to me. In my life, Games come up all over the place.

If I find something difficult then it helps me to think of it as a game. This approach makes things less stressful and lowers my anxiety. Elon Musk says we might all just be living in a simulation. Sometimes it helps to think of life in that way. A few examples of play as it manifests in my life:

  • Playing with the kids at whatever game they have going
  • Treating menial parenting tasks as a game
  • Comedy and conversation with friends
  • Computer games
  • Sport and exercise including data on health
  • Social media accounts
  • Music – listening and playing music is a beautiful game
  • Work
  • Podcasts
  • Blogging 😉
  • More and more I see life as one big bunch of games to play.
  • Some people are not good at playing. Doodling, Riffing, Games, Jokes, Humor are seen as a waste of time. I can’t understand this approach to life.
  • Happy Wednesday, chimps.

    • Social Media and Distraction

    Life catches up with you. Like a night out stumbling from one bar to another, social media can have no purpose and damage your life if you don’t pay attention. Facebook updates for giggles and laughs is not a long term strategy unless you are a comedian. Chasing likes and shares, while measurable, will not get you anywhere meaningful. It will distract you from making something useful and interesting.

    I have gone through peaks and troughs with social media – After becoming disgusted with my online self, I purged all my accounts …and now slowly I am trying again with more purpose. Now I have reached some sort of balance with the following social/web presence to manage:

    • a personal Facebook profile
    • a personal Instagram profile
    • a Chimpwithcans Instagram profile (public – see link)
    • a Chimpwithcans Facebook page (public feed of this blog and Instagram – see link)
    • a Chimpwithcans Twitter profile (public feed of this blog – see link)
    • this blog (public)

    Less distraction, more creativity, more intentionality (big word no?).

    Affirmations

    This week I have had two very conflicting experiences on the net. One was a Twitter exchange which devolved rapidly into aggressive one-upmanship. That wasn’t fun and so I am off Twitter (again!) – I just don’t have the time to get good at Twitter.

    Another was an invitation by a reader of my blog to answer some questions on music and audio. It was really enjoyable and I see it as a privilege to be asked to write about something I love so much. Rafael’s blog can be found here. I presume my questions and answers will show up soon enough.

    On a more personal level, it is really satisfying to get an ad hoc request for writing about audio. That is exactly the sort of thing I want to do more of. So, two affirmations – one with regards to my poor Twitter skills. One encouraging my writing and my love of audio.

    On reflection, this has been an excellent and productive week so far 🙂

    Podcast? Yes, podcast.

    Lately, I have stretched myself and I have learned a lot. When’s the last time you could say that honestly? We tend to get distracted and veer towards the certainty of the mundane, the social media, the salt/sugar/fat, the pleasurable consumption.

    This week on Chimpwithcans.com I am releasing my first podcast episode into the big bad world. I created it. I’ll let you all hear it. You can even let me know what you think of it. Just remember – it may not be for you, and that’s alright.

    Every Friday I will release an episode. I’ll put one up on http://www.chimpwithcans.com every week for a month (4 episodes).

    The internet is a huge all you can eat buffet – make your choices wisely!

    Rant

    If the only thing you have to write about is how tired you are, or how terrible things are these days, or how little hope you have for the future, then I am not interested.

    Give me people who take action over those who post despair to make an impact.

    Give me someone who is creating something beautiful over someone who is scouring and searching for something to complain about, all the while playing it safe every day.

    Rant over. Time to go make something awesome.