social media – BrendanFetters.com

Emails, texts, social media. We are plugged in daily throughout our daily lives at work, home and in our lives. It can be and often is — too much. We often spend so much time being connected it can be a challenge to connect effectively with people in person.

I found that no matter how busy the calendar of events is maintaining set time to be disconnected from our devices is not only refreshing but necessary in seeking balance.

I have blogged in the past about my workouts always being device free. (For reference – https://brendanfetters.com/2024/02/18/maintaining-professional-stability-through-daily-balance/) This is one time daily that I know I have disconnected time in place. I hold myself accountable to this daily by keeping my phone not only in another room but on another section of the house.

Being device-free for 60-90 minutes straight most days during this block makes shifting to time and space to read, do chores, etc. completely disconnected easier as well.

In other personal lives it is also vital to have time and space for human connection – device free. I’m not accessing my phone while engaging with friends and/or family — being in the moment distraction free and completely focused on conversation and that human connection.

Completely disconnecting is sometimes a challenge but this recent article in The New York Times offers several outstanding tips and tricks around common situations that require us to be connected in some capacity — to have a healthy relationship with our devices. I highly recommend giving it a read —

Disconnecting is powerful in our 24/7 “on” lives but it takes effort. The rewards are powerful. This is something I’m continuing to grow within myself as there is always room for improvement within ourselves, right?

In the months since I last blogged our collective lives have changed even more. COVID-19 remains with us and without a vaccine continues to alter our worlds. In the wake of the recent deaths of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor on top of years of racial inequities outrage sparked nationwide and even globally. These events have resulted in rapid idealogical shifts along with much needed conversations and in many cases action to lead toward real movements to confront these inequalities all across the nation. By far the positives of people trying their best to become better allies, supporters and friends while deepening overall understanding, learning and growing within the ongoing work was evident throughout social media.

https://sports.yahoo.com/a-changed-world-mlb-managers-explain-how-they-are-leading-clubhouses-after-george-floyd-coronavirus-003336144.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/11/ceos-unveil-plans-against-racial-inequality-after-george-floyd-death.html

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/16/world/meanwhile-in-america-june-12-intl/index.html

https://www.wral.com/books-for-kids-to-help-spark-conversations-about-race-justice/19128212/

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/13/us/changes-from-protests-george-floyd-trnd/index.html

We all are living in very anxious times during these times of such uncertainty. Since the pandemic rocked the world in March our lives have drastically shifted. We’ve had to collectively shift our day to day lives as we all navigate living with a global pandemic.

When will there be a vaccine? How and when will large in person concerts and sporting events return? What about schools? When will we have more normalcy in our world? So many questions. So much unpredictability. Social media can assist with the pandemic at local, state, federal and global level when reliable information/sources are utilized.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html

Social media is a great and powerful tool. It’s been a significant part of my life for well over a decade, especially Twitter. I joined the platform nearly a decade ago and had so much impact on my life even once blogged about my entry into the Twitterverse.

I’ve always operated all social media platforms under the mindset of using Facebook and Twitter for good. During these often unstable times this is especially true.

However far too often we see users not abiding by this. Actively complaining, engaging in unhealthy/productive conversations and not abiding by social media etiquette best practices. What value is added by utilizing social media platforms in such a way?

The above mentioned activity became so toxic recently in my own social media circle that I voluntarily cut out all social media for over a week. Logged off my laptop, desktop, all iOS social media apps. Done. Didn’t think about it for over a week. Life went on. The break from the negative energy was refreshing, honestly. I had so much more of my day left. I lived my life completely removed from the social media bubble. After a week plus away I was rejuvenated.

Below are some sound resources on social media best practices.

https://www.houstonpress.com/news/4-rules-of-twitter-etiquette-to-follow-immediately-11271695

https://wlstraininginc.com/social-media-etiquette/

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/10-facebook-etiquette-rul_b_9425740

https://topdogsocialmedia.com/twitter-etiquette/

We are living in very trying times as a society. We all deal with stress in a variety of ways. Be mindful of who and what you represent. Your words matter. Pause and reflect before you post.