Controlling Social Media
TL;DR:
On most forms of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) you get free access to the product. The platforms don’t want your money - they want your attention and your time.
Social media can be reclaimed so that you can get your time back for the things you want to see.
I am a person who, generally, embraces technology if I see a use for it. Today’s case in point are the ever growing array of social media platforms we have at our disposal. I have accounts on Twitter/X, Facebook, Threads, Instagram, LinkedIn, Mastodon, and more. I’ve mentioned here a few times over the past months that I’m trying to develop a publishing and writing strategy. That includes a promotion strategy for that publishing and writing which means I’ve got to spend some time figuring out social media. A few of the things I’ve realized I think can be helpful to anyone.
Social Media Platforms Want Your Time, Not Your Money
While Elon Musk and his Twitter/X Verified may be the exception here, most of the platforms themselves don’t want your money. They want your time and attention. Your eyes on their platform means they sell more ad revenue. More ad revenue is far better than the piddly subscription they might get you to pay for using their service. To make sure you’re not making yourself the product and you’re still exploiting the tool’s generosity for your purposes over those of Musk, Zuckerberg, and the like, you need some strategy around your social media use.
Delete social media accounts you aren’t use. This may seem obvious but plenty of old never used accounts are sitting around. They are a prime playground for those looking to steal an identity.
Decide the purpose of each platform (and account on the platform if you have multiple accounts on one or more platforms). Here are a few examples:
Twitter/X - personal account - My one and only “doom scrolling” account. I let the algorithm have its way with me. I follow anyone and accept all follows.
Twitter/X - business account - I post at least one tip every other day here about being more successful. I accept all follows but follow only a handful of places where I can find useful information to share with clients.
Facebook - personal account - Accept only friend requests from people I’d actually sit down and have a coffee or soda with. Post occasional updates - typically for trips or big life moments.
Continue this for all accounts.
Clean up your follows and likes. As I’ve been enacting my new strategy, I realized my follows and likes had gotten way out of control. For example, my instagram strategy is to keep up with family and friends so I’ve stopped following almost everyone on instagram.
Learn to control the tools letting the tools control you. For instance, on Facebook, there is a way to get a fully time based feed that has no algorithm. This video shows you how. This has now become my default way to look at Facebook.
What ways do you use social media that you find useful, productive, and beneficial. Just hit reply and share them with me.
Let me help you customize your own personal social media usage strategy. Book a free, no-obligation consultation at https://www.monarchstrategiesllc.com/schedule.
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Would You Be Interested?
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Some Things You Might Find Interesting
What I published this week: I published an article! Glad to finally be getting these creative juices going again. Check it out here: Take Back Time - The Meetings Edition on Monarch Strategies Blog
Protect Your Privacy on Venmo: This specific setting actually came up in three different conversations this past week so I thought I’d share it here. If you use the cash send/receive app Venmo you will want to change your settings so that your transactions are not public. It’s easy to do, but it’s not the default setting. This quick video walks you through how to check and change that setting.
Elemental: If you missed Elemental in the theatre, now is your chance to see it on Disney+. I was skeptical about this film but Gayle and I had a chance to see it on vacation and it was one of the best Pixar films released in a very, very long time. Definitely check this one out.
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