I was recently reading Forbes “30 Under 30” (because I’m fun like that), when I read a quote that seemed incredibly enlightening to me.  Emerson Spartz, cofounder of Dose, said, “Negative stories get clicks, but they tend not to get shares.”  And I love that thought, and feel that it’s very true.  When I think about my facebook wall, it’s typically filled with stories such as a monkey laughing at a bad magic trick, a list of euphoric moments for stationary addicts, and awesome recipes that are somehow magically created in 30 seconds or less.

While negativity captures our attention, we have a want to share positivity with others.

Because there has been a lot of attention given to the potential negative impacts of social media, this quote also got me to thinking about hw I use the various forms of social media.  Do I interact differently on Facebook, compared to Instagram, compared to Twitter?

 

 Facebook

When I use Facebook, I love looking at pictures of people I’ve known from the past or my current life.  I’m not big on “liking” company pages or fellow bloggers (unless we’ve actually become friends over the years), which is why SST doesn’t have a blog focused page.  Personally, I rarely look through albums more than five pictures, but I love when people post individual pictures or fun links.

Interesting fact from my days in marketing: I’m what they call a “lurker”… doesn’t that sounds creepy?  But it’s folks like me that read posts regularly, but rarely post on their own.  Yeah… that’s great.

Instagram

While I’m new to Instagram in the blogger sense of the term, I had a personal account for years prior.  It’s my thought that Instagram was the primary driver for the negative interpretation of social media, because there are so many Instagram “celebrities” out there that make their way by taking selfies.  But it should be up to us to follow those that brighten our lives and inspire us to be better.  I love following accounts that share an artistic eye or provide inspiration daily.  And truthfully, I don’t care if I know the people I follow personally or not.  But that’s a personal preference…

Pinterest

While I was a die-hard Pinterest user for a while, I’m on the app much more sporadically at this point.  But I can’t help but check it a few times a week to stay inspired.  I’m typically reactively checking, rather than proactively, as I look when I need inspiration.  I’ll check out workouts or recipes, but rarely randomly scroll to see cute puppies anymore.

Also, not a big fan of the “suggested post” implementation.  I love to see what my friends are liking and pinning across the Pinterest universe.  (Does anyone know how to turn of the suggested post option?)

Twitter

While I originally picked up Twitter in 2008, and it was the second medium I moved to with SST, it’s absolutely not my favorite to use.  I do love that your can actually link to the articles people are discussing immediately within the newsfeed.  But something about Twitter feels very impersonal to me, which doesn’t really jive with where I want SST to lead.

I will say that Twitter is the best of the mediums for news updates.  Most large news outlets keep their Twitter more up to date than any of their other social media accounts.  Even the mountains up here announce when they’re opening via Twitter before anywhere else!

Snapchat

To be honest, I couldn’t handle another form of social media, so I’ve outsourced Snapchat to Ray.  I have him follow my friends and favorite bloggers and he holds onto them until I can check them out.  Truthfully, I’m still struggling to understand how Snapchat can build a stronger relationship between people, but with millions of people involved, I’m certain that it’s just something I’m missing.  I’m comfortable missing out on some trends that don’t fit me well. 😉

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How do you use the top, various forms of social media?  Are there specific mediums you prefer over others?

Create a great life!