โ€œIโ€™m Quitting Social Mediaโ€

The only constant in your social presence is you.

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

โ€œIโ€™m quitยญting social media.โ€

The othยญer day, I stumbled upon the artยญicle โ€œGoing Postalโ€‰โ€”โ€‰A psyยญchoยญanaยญlytยญic readยญing of social media and the death drive.โ€

In the artยญicle, the writer Max Read tells us about his relaยญtionยญship with social media in light of readยญing โ€œThe Twittering Machineโ€ by Richard Seymour. 

And yes, Read tells us that heโ€™s quitยญting social media.

Here we go:

Why Read Is Quitting Social Media

Readโ€™s artยญicle is well-writยญten, both poignant and enterยญtainยญing. And he does a treยญmendยญous job of conยญveyยญing his thinkยญing on the subยญject. The trope โ€œIโ€™ve had enough, and hereโ€™s why Iโ€™m quitยญting social mediaโ€ has been an interยญnet staple for years, but Readโ€™s take is a classy blend of wit and cool.

Despite disยญagreeยญing with Readโ€™s conยญcluยญsion, I enjoyed the style of the artยญicle wholeheartedly:

โ€œI quit Twitter and Instagram in May, in the same manยญner I leave parties: abruptly, silently, and much later than would have been healthy. This was sevยญerยญal weeks into New York Cityโ€™s lockยญdown, and for those of us not employed by instiยญtuยญtions deemed essenยญtialโ€‰โ€”โ€‰hosยญpitยญals, prisยญons, meatยญpackยญing plantsโ€”socialยญity was now entirely mediยญated by a handยญful of tech giants, with no meatยญspace escape route, and the platยญforms felt parยญticยญuยญlarly, grimly pathetยญic.

Instagram, cut off from a steady supยญply of vacaยญtions and parties and othยญer covยญetable experยญiยญences, had grown unsetยญtlingly borยญing, its inhabยญitยญants increasยญingly unkempt and wild-eyed, each one like the sole surยญvivยญing astroยญnaut from a doomed space-colยญonยญizยญaยญtion misยญsion, broadยญcastยญing deranged missives about yoga and cookยญing proยญjects into an uncarยญing void. Twitter, on the othยญer hand, felt more like a doomed space-colยญonยญizยญaยญtion misยญsion where everyยญone had surยญvived but we had to decide who to eat.โ€

The Reversal of Readโ€™s Argument

My quesยญtion: Arenโ€™t the negยญatยญives just as bothยญerยญsome for all types of media consumption?

For the sake of such an arguยญment, imaยญgine replaยญcing social media with teleยญviยญsion in Readโ€™s text:

โ€œI quit watchยญing teleยญviยญsion in May, in the same manยญner I leave parties: abruptly, silently, and much later than would have been healthy. This was sevยญerยญal weeks into New York Cityโ€™s lockยญdown, and for those of us not employed by instiยญtuยญtions deemed essenยญtialโ€‰โ€”โ€‰hosยญpitยญals, prisยญons, meatยญpackยญing plantsโ€”realยญity was now entirely mediยญated by a handยญful of broadยญcast comยญpanยญies, with no meatยญspace escape route, and the shows felt parยญticยญuยญlarly, grimly pathetยญic.

Day-time teleยญviยญsion, cut off from a steady supยญply of realยญity celebritยญies and cued stuยญdio audiยญences and othยญer covยญetable experยญiยญences, had grown unsetยญtlingly borยญing, its inhabยญitยญants increasยญingly unkempt and wild-eyed, each one like the sole surยญvivยญing astroยญnaut from a doomed space-colยญonยญizยญaยญtion misยญsion, broadยญcastยญing deranged missives about yoga and cookยญing proยญjects into an uncarยญing void. Late-night teleยญviยญsion, on the othยญer hand, felt more like a doomed space-colยญonยญizยญaยญtion misยญsion where everyยญone had surยญvived but we had to decide who to eat.โ€

This type of media criยญtique stems from a proud traยญdiยญtion all the way back to Neil Postman and Pierre Bourdieu. Such an obserยญvaยญtion doesnโ€™t weakยญen the criยญtique but hints that this isnโ€™t a new phenomenon. 

Donโ€™t get me wrong; there are plenty of reasยญons for cutยญting back on teleยญviยญsion. My gosh, the amount of teleยญvised crap is staggering.

However, conยญtext does matยญter; if you think binge-watchยญing dayยญtime teleยญviยญsion instead of going to work and getยญting a healthy amount of exerยญcise makes you worse, then youโ€™re probยญably right. 

Thereโ€™s No Information Overload

If youโ€™re unhappy with what youโ€™re readยญing and seeยญing on Instagram and Twitter, youโ€™re simply misยญusยญing them. The same goes for YouTube, Twitch, Quora, Pinterest, and TikTok.

Even Googleโ€™s search engine has a social comยญponยญent; stop searchยญing for (and clickยญing on) crap, and the social media algorithm will betยญter underยญstand that youโ€™re a serยญiยญous perยญson who wants serยญiยญous search results.

โ€œThere is no informยญaยญtion overยญload, only filยญter failยญure.โ€
โ€” Clay Shirky

Quitting social media (or teleยญviยญsion) cold turยญkey isnโ€™t necesยญsarยญily the obviยญous soluยญtion to your problems.

Iโ€™m not actยญively tryยญing to be an asshole here. Thereโ€™s a case to be made that many people are ill-equipped to manยญage their social media feeds. Many of us donโ€™t have the sensยญibยญilยญitยญies to manยญage these โ€œnewโ€ techยญnoยญloยญgiesโ€‰โ€”โ€‰at least not yet. 

I agree that the ecoยญsysยญtem with interยญconยญnecยญted devices, big data, and dopamยญine-trigยญgerยญing notiยญficยญaยญtions is more addictยญive and accessยญible than teleยญviยญsion ever. Just like teleยญviยญsion was so much harder to resยญist than radio. 

Youโ€™re Not Supposed To React To Everything

In 1998, while playยญing around with my Nokia 1611 durยญing class, my hisยญtory teachยญer gently reminded me that the most sigยญniยญficยญant disยญadยญvantยญage of being a slave was that they were always accessible. 

Maybe this is a cruยญcial point. 

It might be that some genยญerยญaยญtions have yet to underยญstand that youโ€™re not supยญposed to reply to all emails, comยญments, phone calls, text mesยญsages, and DMs. The mindยญset, โ€Oh, I got a DM; it might be importยญant,โ€ will pull anyยญone into digitยญal enslavement.

If you try to conยญtact someone who isnโ€™t paid to answer and you canยญnot pass through their filยญters, itโ€™s not on the recipยญiยญent for โ€œnot pickยญing upโ€. Itโ€™s on youโ€‰โ€”โ€‰the sender. If not, your inbox and your feeds will become everyยญone elseโ€™s agenda for your timeโ€‰โ€”โ€‰if you let it.

  • Itโ€™s a growยญing social imbalยญance of loneliยญness. Influencers are in your social circles, but youโ€™re not in theirs.

In our wired world, when anyยญone can so quickly conยญtact anyยญone anyยญwhere and at scale, itโ€™s just difยญferยญent now. I even have a perยญsonยญal phone policy to that effect.

If youโ€™re a Fortnite streamยญer using the Twitch social platยญform, there are built-in funcยญtions to allow the audiยญence to pay for a chance of getยญting the streamยญer to notice your mesยญsages. And othยญer social platยญforms (even Facebook) folยญlow suit by impleยญmentยญing new ways for influยญenยญcers to get paid.

Weโ€™ve gone from โ€œThanks for callยญingโ€ to โ€œThanks for replying.โ€

Whoโ€™s the Bigger Fool?

This reversal might seem absurd to some, but the underยญlyยญing logic is evidยญent to most interยญnet-savvy demographics.

Donโ€™t get me wrong; this isnโ€™t an older-people-just-donโ€™tโ€‘get-it rant. That would be unfair. Those who grew up without social media have no playยญbook and, more importยญantly, no older genยญerยญaยญtions to learn from.

Max Read goes on to write:

โ€œThese people, with their just-askยญing quesยญtions and vapยญid open letยญters, are dullards and bores, petยญtiยญfogยญgers and casuยญists, cowยญards and disยญsemยญblers, time-wasters of the worst sort.โ€

If this is true, and it might well be, what do we call those who allow time-wasters to invade their social feeds? I donโ€™t have any big words, but fools come to mind.

We must manยญage our social feeds, DMs, and inboxes. Otherwise, they will manยญage us.

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Thank you. Please supยญport my blog by sharยญing artยญicles with othยญer comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions- and marยญketยญing proยญfesยญsionยญals. Please also conยญsider my PR serยญvices or speakยญing engageยญments.

PR Resource: Social Media Sharing

Why We Share on Social Media

โ€œPeople want to be loved; failยญing that admired; failยญing that feared; failยญing that hated and desยญpised. They want to evoke some sort of senยญtiยญment. The soul shudยญders before obliยญviยญon and seeks conยญnecยญtion at any price.โ€
โ€” Hjalmar Sรถderberg (1869โˆ’1941), Swedish author

When we share on social media, we share for a reasยญon. And that reasยญon typยญicยญally has someยญthing to do with ourselves:

  • We share to make ourselves look smart.
  • We share to fit in and to stand out.
  • We share to express individuality.
  • We share to belong to our in-group.
  • We share to be loved.
  • We share to proยญvoke reacยญtions for attention.
  • We share to extract sympathy.
  • We share to make us feel betยญter about ourselves.
  • We share to get ahead.
  • We share to grow an audience.
  • We share to comยญpensate for our shortcomings.
  • We share to get the respect we need.

If you can get social media to work for you, great. But you should also be mindยญful not to let the presยญsure get the betยญter of you.

โ€œA status update with no likes (or a clevยญer tweet without retweets) becomes the equiยญvalยญent of a joke met with silence. It must be rethought and rewritยญten. And so we donโ€™t show our true selves online, but a mask designed to conยญform to the opinยญions of those around us.โ€
โ€” Neil Strauss, Wall Street Journal

Learn more: The Narcissistic Principle: Why We Share on Social Media

PR Resource: Social Media Logic

Enter: Social Media Logic

Social Media Logic - Doctor Spin - Public Relations Blog
Algorithms drive social media logic.

Media logic is a set of theยญorยญies describยญing how the mediยญum affects the media. Typically, the format (as the mediยญum dicยญtates) influยญences the mediยญated message.

โ€œMedia logic is defined as a form of comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion, and the proยญcess through which media transยญmit and comยญmuยญnicยญate informยญaยญtion. The logic and guidelines become taken for granยญted, often instiยญtuยญtionยญalยญized, and inform social interยญacยญtion. A basic prinยญciple is that media, informยญaยญtion techยญnoยญloยญgies, and comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion formats can affect events and social activยญitยญies.โ€œ
Source: The International Encyclopedia of Political Communication 1Altheide, D. L. (2016). Media Logic. The International Encyclopedia of Political Communication, 1โ€‰โ€“โ€‰6. https://โ€‹doiโ€‹.org/โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹.โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹0โ€‹2โ€‹/โ€‹9โ€‹7โ€‹8โ€‹1โ€‹1โ€‹1โ€‹8โ€‹5โ€‹4โ€‹1โ€‹5โ€‹5โ€‹5โ€‹.โ€‹wโ€‹bโ€‹iโ€‹eโ€‹pโ€‹cโ€‹088

As famยญously stipยญuยญlated by Marshall McLuhan, โ€œThe mediยญum is the mesยญsage.โ€ What are the typยญicยญal effects of media logic on mediยญated messages?

Classic Media Logic Effects

Classic media logic is hypoยญthesยญised to influยญence the news media in the folยญlowยญing ways: 2Nord, L., & Strรถmbรคck, J. (2002, January). Tio dagar som skakade vรคrlden. En studยญie av mediยญernas beskrivningar av terยญrorยญatยญtackยญerna mot USA och kriยญget i Afghanistan hรถsten 2001. ResearchGate; โ€ฆ Continue readยญing

  • Aggravation. As a resยญult of media logic, the news media will exagยญgerยญate events, conยญcepts, and ideas to make them seem more severe or danยญgerยญous than they are.
  • Simplification. As a resยญult of media logic, the news media will dumb down events, conยญcepts, and ideas to make them seem more underยญstandยญable than they are.
  • Polarisation. Because of media logic, the news media porยญtrays events, conยญcepts, and ideas as more conflicting/โ€‹provocative than they are.
  • Intensification. As a resยญult of media logic, the news media will senยญsaยญtionยญalยญise events, conยญcepts, and ideas to make them more irresยญistยญible than they are.
  • Concreteness. Because of media logic, news media will report events, conยญcepts, and ideas more straightยญforยญwardly than they are.
  • Personalisation. Due to media logic, the news media will overยญemยญphasยญise the role of named indiยญviduยญals in conยญjuncยญtion with events, conยญcepts, and ideas.
  • Stereotypisation. Because of media logic, the news media frames events, conยญcepts, and ideas as more aligned with conยญvenยญtionยญal perceptions/โ€‹opinions than they are.

The effects of the above media logic can also be recogยญnised in social media. Still, social netยญwork algorithms seem to add even more effects:

Social Media Logic Effects

โ€œSocial media logic, rooted in proยญgramยญmabยญilยญity, popยญularยญity, conยญnectivยญity, and dataficยญaยญtion, is increasยญingly entangled with mass media logic, impactยญing variยญous areas of pubยญlic life.โ€
Source: Writing Technologies eJournal 3Dijck, J., & Poell, T. (2013). Understanding Social Media Logic. Writing Technologies eJournal. https://โ€‹doiโ€‹.org/โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹.โ€‹1โ€‹7โ€‹6โ€‹4โ€‹5โ€‹/โ€‹Mโ€‹Aโ€‹Cโ€‹.โ€‹Vโ€‹1โ€‹Iโ€‹1โ€‹.70

Based on the sugยญgesยญted addiยญtions for social platยญforms, we can add four extra dimenยญsions to the clasยญsic media logic effects model:

  • Programmability. Social media logic enables and encourยญages users to creยญate and manipยญuยญlate conยญtent, leadยญing to a tailored porยญtrayยญal of events, conยญcepts, and ideas that might not fully repยญresยญent reality.
  • Popularity. Driven by social media logic, conยญtent that gains iniยญtial popยญularยญity can disยญproยญporยญtionยญately influยญence pubยญlic perยญcepยญtion, regardยญless of accurยญacy or completeness.
  • Connectivity. Social mediยญaโ€™s interยญconยญnecยญted nature, reinยญforced by social media logic, facilยญitยญates the rapยญid spread of informยญaยญtion, often without sufยญfiยญcient veriยญficยญaยญtion, leadยญing to a disยญtorยญted underยญstandยญing of events and ideas.
  • Datafication. The social media logic of conยญvertยญing interยญacยญtions into data points emphasยญises quanยญtiยญfiยญable aspects of events, conยญcepts, and ideas, potenยญtially overยญlookยญing their qualยญitยญatยญive nuances.

Social media logic seems entangled with clasยญsic media logic. While more comยญplex, social netยญworks seem to ampยญliยญfy the effects of clasยญsic media logic.

Learn more: Social Media Logic: The Amplification of Media Effects

Annotations
Annotations
1 Altheide, D. L. (2016). Media Logic. The International Encyclopedia of Political Communication, 1โ€‰โ€“โ€‰6. https://โ€‹doiโ€‹.org/โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹.โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹0โ€‹2โ€‹/โ€‹9โ€‹7โ€‹8โ€‹1โ€‹1โ€‹1โ€‹8โ€‹5โ€‹4โ€‹1โ€‹5โ€‹5โ€‹5โ€‹.โ€‹wโ€‹bโ€‹iโ€‹eโ€‹pโ€‹cโ€‹088
2 Nord, L., & Strรถmbรคck, J. (2002, January). Tio dagar som skakade vรคrlden. En studยญie av mediยญernas beskrivningar av terยญrorยญatยญtackยญerna mot USA och kriยญget i Afghanistan hรถsten 2001. ResearchGate; Styrelsen fรถr psykoยญloยญgiskt fรถrsยญvar. https://โ€‹wwwโ€‹.researchgโ€‹ateโ€‹.net/โ€‹pโ€‹uโ€‹bโ€‹lโ€‹iโ€‹cโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹iโ€‹oโ€‹nโ€‹/โ€‹2โ€‹7โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹1โ€‹4โ€‹6โ€‹2โ€‹4โ€‹_โ€‹Tโ€‹iโ€‹oโ€‹_โ€‹dโ€‹aโ€‹gโ€‹aโ€‹rโ€‹_โ€‹sโ€‹oโ€‹mโ€‹_โ€‹sโ€‹kโ€‹aโ€‹kโ€‹aโ€‹dโ€‹eโ€‹_โ€‹vโ€‹aโ€‹rโ€‹lโ€‹dโ€‹eโ€‹nโ€‹_โ€‹Eโ€‹nโ€‹_โ€‹sโ€‹tโ€‹uโ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹eโ€‹_โ€‹aโ€‹vโ€‹_โ€‹mโ€‹eโ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹nโ€‹aโ€‹sโ€‹_โ€‹bโ€‹eโ€‹sโ€‹kโ€‹rโ€‹iโ€‹vโ€‹nโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹gโ€‹aโ€‹rโ€‹_โ€‹aโ€‹vโ€‹_โ€‹tโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹rโ€‹oโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹tโ€‹aโ€‹cโ€‹kโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹nโ€‹aโ€‹_โ€‹mโ€‹oโ€‹tโ€‹_โ€‹Uโ€‹Sโ€‹Aโ€‹_โ€‹oโ€‹cโ€‹hโ€‹_โ€‹kโ€‹rโ€‹iโ€‹gโ€‹eโ€‹tโ€‹_โ€‹iโ€‹_โ€‹Aโ€‹fโ€‹gโ€‹hโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹iโ€‹sโ€‹tโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹_โ€‹hโ€‹oโ€‹sโ€‹tโ€‹eโ€‹nโ€‹_โ€‹2โ€‹001
3 Dijck, J., & Poell, T. (2013). Understanding Social Media Logic. Writing Technologies eJournal. https://โ€‹doiโ€‹.org/โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹.โ€‹1โ€‹7โ€‹6โ€‹4โ€‹5โ€‹/โ€‹Mโ€‹Aโ€‹Cโ€‹.โ€‹Vโ€‹1โ€‹Iโ€‹1โ€‹.70
Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Kaufmann, Whispr Group, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Cover Photo

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