Another day, another post.

I used to be one of those people who, as soon as I woke up – eyes still crusty, and the smell of morning breath in the air – instantly grabbed my phone to check social media.

Constantly glued to my phone, not only instantly responding / reacting to the latest Facebook notification, but also aimlessly, in a daze, scrolling through social feeds simply ‘cos it was there.

It had become a habit.

After selling my cryptocurrency business, this really hit home. I had loads of new time on my hands, which should be filled with exciting adventures with Archie (I look after him full time), but instead – I was having Cbeebies doing the child caring while I sat, aimlessly, scrolling thru ‘the feed’…

(Archie was also grabbing my phone at times and copying the ‘scrolling’ action; that’s not good for a 22 month old right?!)

This was the stark wake up call for me. Social media, for all it’s positives, connecting people across the globe, enabling brands to market directly to consumers etc – is, most of the time, let’s be honest… a massive waste of time.

Too many of us accidentally get sucked into the void and become social media zombies.

Instead of living in the moment I was scrolling through Facebook, reading threads on Twitter about subjects I couldn’t give a fuck about, and becoming more and more envious of everyones perfectly PR’d lives on Instagram.

And you know what, social media drains you.

It doesn’t make you happy, it just makes you more and more unhappy. Constant reminders of what you don’t, can’t or will never have / be like.

Picking up your phone, again – one more time, is like mindlessly stubbing your toe over and over hoping for a different reaction to ‘shit, that hurts’. It’s dumb.

It becomes an addiction.

After letting the likes of Hey Dugee and Mr Tumble be Archie’s caregivers for all too long, I deleted every social media app from my phone.

And it felt like a giant relief!

A massive weight off my shoulders – and now, two months down the line, I couldn’t care less.

I’ve not deleted my social profiles, I just have to manually log on to my laptop to be able to use them.

Sitting upright with a laptop isn’t as convenient or as enjoyable as scrolling thru in bed, or on the toilet – so, like checking your email, it’s a quick mooch around on each channel, and then I log back out.

Doing just this simple action has made me far more comfortable and grateful for what I have around me, the people and material things, and I’ve got loads more done – and I’m now no longer glued to my phone.

Meaning a happier Liam and a more entertained Archie.

Don’t get it twisted though, like any addiction – going cold turkey like this – although it sounds ridiculous, was hard. I reinstalled Instagram a few times…and then deleted it again after getting ‘my fix’.

So I can completely see how we’re now seeing genuine mental health problems related to social media use, selfie addiction etc.

But, as with anything, social media usage, like alcohol – even chocolate, coffee – is fine, in moderation. It does boast a truck load of positives, but there is the dark side which we all have to be wary of.

What does this mean for marketing?

Despite the recent Cambridge Analytica / Facebook data issues, it merely reinforces the point that data works. Social media can be used by businesses and brands to get their messages in front of their audience.

The audience endlessly scrolling, ready to be sold and marketed to, on the 4.5inch screen in their pocket – all from the comfort of their bed, sofa…or even toilet.

…this wasn’t meant to be an overly cynical post. Social media has a role and is important in today’s world, especially for business and brand relationships. This is just my personal experience tbh, and may be completely different for you.

Received the mind map of content from the crypto client today ahead of their big launch. Eager to get started on their content this week.