I haven’t been all that active on Facebook, LinkedIn, et al, since the 4th of July holiday week and frankly, I haven’t really missed it.
Doldrums are defined as “a state of inactivity or stagnation, as in business or art: August is a time of doldrums for many enterprises.”
Social Media Fatigue is defined as (individuals) tendency to pull back from social media when they become overwhelmed with too many social media sites, too many friends and followers and too much time spent online maintaining these connections.
Engaging in social media doesn’t have to take all your time (though it can, if you let it) plus I enjoy keeping up with everyone. However, at this time of year especially, I have a lot going on IRL (in real life) and I want to spend my time meeting friends face-to-face, working in the garden, relaxing on my back deck and doing a bit of travel.
Being socially "present" and consistent is important but not at the expense of other life experiences. I don’t want to be one of those people who posts and runs!
As I joked with a friend over coffee recently, I am sure at the end of my life, I won’t be wishing I’d spent more time on twitter!
Here are a couple good articles about how to fight social media fatigue:
http://blog.viralheat.com/2013/07/02/five-tips-to-prevent-social-media-fatigue/
http://blogs.gartner.com/richard-fouts/2013/04/24/what-to-do-about-social-media-fatigue/
I am not shutting down my accounts, though I know some people who have. Naturally I’ll keep my professional social media work going, continue to write this blog, periodically post a fast status update, share and comment, but I am stepping back somewhat for the rest of the summer. It’s my social media mini-vacation!
Look for me to jump back into the fray when the weather is less beckoning, there’s a chill in the air and the leaves start falling from the trees.
Is social media fatigue real? How do you keep your engagement going?