Could Social Media Kill The Economy?

I haven't been sleeping well lately. Every night I wake up in a cold sweat thinking about what the hell I'm going to post tomorrow on the Atomic Ideas Blog, on Facebook on Twitter, on You Tube. The panic is palpable. If we're not participating we're losing out... on ratings, on rankings on relevance! Trying to keep up is excruciating.

For an old school guy like me, engagement used to be nothing more than finding a nice girl, convincing her I was the best thing since sliced bread, and then spending a large chunk of my salary on a rock to put on her finger. Elegant. Simple.

Now, everyone and their brother is telling me that engagement is the very future of my business. If my company doesn't take the time to do it, WE WILL DIE. Holy s%$t! No wonder I can't sleep.

After all, I fire up TweetDeck and I see my peers Tweeting merrily away - ALL DAY LONG.

I fire up Facebook and watch my "friends" doing the same thing. Updating, commenting, liking and, I guess, ENGAGING... ALL DAY LONG.

You can see why I can't sleep. I've got so many other things to do, I just can't keep up. I obviously don't have what it takes... a complete loser.

Truth is, I have not been able to figure out how to get all the real work I need to get done... well, done... and spend the amount of time the gurus tell me I need to spend ENGAGING to ensure the future of Atomic Ideas. The world is apparently full of supermen and woman who are able to get everything they need to get done, done AND make a living, whilst constantly informing me of their latest meal, or the 250 revolutionary articles they read today they think I might be interested in. Very helpful indeed, but where the hell do they find the time?

Frankly, I think I'm pretty productive. But that productivity is almost always focused on getting things done for our clients and our company... and that pesky secondary distraction, my wife and kids

I understand and embrace the importance of social media, but finding the time to do it right is a real struggle. I have to think that a lot of people are trading real productivity for pablum because they are addicted to building their "reputation" on Twitter, or just plain addicted to Facebook and all the other shiny new engagement tools out there.

On the other hand, I wonder that If trends continue, maybe everyone (me too, with your help) will spend all their time engaging and none of their time doing. When that happens, the economy will collapse and we'll go back to the dark ages. One bright light, we'll still have social media... smoke signals and cave art.

The bottom line here... I want the keys to the car, I want to climb aboard the train... I need help! I implore some of you folks who claim to have legitimate businesses, yet apparently spend every hour of your waking days online, to share your secrets! You'll help me sleep better. You may even save my life!

What do you think. Will social media lead to the Apocalypse? Weigh in. Save the world!

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplemattfish/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Comments

[Russ]

Greg, it is indeed worth thinking about.

Eric, thanks for the comment. We do seem to spend more time online than face-to-face these days. It begs the question where will the future take from a personal interaction standpoint.

Steve, you are right. All of these new "social" tools may actually be taking us away from the intimate and worthwhile interactions that actually make lives well lived. Your comment reminds me of the old saying, "nobody lays on their deathbed and wishes they had worked more."

[Steeb]

Nice post Russ, however, don't you think you could spend a little more time communicating (with feeling and care) with your mother? And you father, not to mention your sister, and don't neglect your brother. Also, maybe you could do a blog for your kids' school, or join a group that works to advance the educational process of those school. And while your up and not sleeping- you should devote a large portion of that time to a worthy charity or two. It's always good to give back to your community - you know. But don't expect praise - one should help in a humble and annonymous manner. This kind of work will help keep you out of hell, or at least delay it for a few months. That should bring a smile to your face. Another thing you shouldn't overlook in your free time is the personal creation of art for your self, For instance, you could write some poems about your work environment to share with the unknowing public. You could write a book or perhaps a novel, that would be very fulfilling, Maybe you could write a song about life in...

You're doing well - don't stop.
I think you know what to do now.

You're welcome.

[Eric T]

This may seem unrelated but I think it fits.

A few years back we had a power outage at work, everyone started congregating in the kitchen...we conversed, we laughed, we told stories, exchanged ideas. Then the power went back on and everyone immediately retreated back to their caves. The world needs more power outages. I like your online presence Russ, but I like you in person better!

Keep up the good work!

[Greg]

Great post! I have been wondering this for years. If we're all online and texting and being social and talking about doing stuff, when will stuff actually get done?