social media Archives - Suzanne Carillo

Information Consumption Overload

The way we consume information has changed dramatically in the past twenty years.

Instead of relying on radio, TV or newspapers many of us head to the internet and social media. We are overwhelmed with information. Many people feel we are in information consumption overload. More and more people are simply choosing to opt out entirely because they feel maxed out.

Last year I started opting out of all online marketing.

I unsubscribed from places like Anthro, Mod Cloth etc. I feel better having done that. Less temptation to spend money on stuff I don’t need.

The amount of blogs I read has decreased dramatically over the past couple of years.

Blogging is my preferred form of social media because it feels more connected and authentic than Instagram. I am very loyal to the blogs I have chosen to keep reading, commenting almost every time I read them.

I follow more people on Instagram but I interact with very few of them. Simply “hearting” someone does not feel like an authentic interaction to me. I don’t feel the need or desire to interact with people on Instagram. They feel as lifeless, disconnected and unreal to me as the models in a Vogue magazine. Is that because they have curated unrealistic feeds of inauthentic lives?

A study by the owners of Instagram, Facebook, revealed that when people spend lots of time passively consuming information – reading but not interacting with people – they report feeling worse afterwards.

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A girlfriend of mine succinctly described this as diminishing ourselves because of the fake and highly curated images of someone else, AKA the “comparison trap”.

Are you guilty of falling into the comparison trap?

I know I can feel woefully inadequate if I spend too much time scrolling Instagram. I’m very thankful my feed is broken up with cute pugs and French bulldogs.

For daily news I currently read three different websites hoping that somewhere, in the middle of all the bias, lays a remote version of the truth.

There is too much fake news and highly edited newsfeeds to trust any one site.

Some days I avoid reading the news altogether, I only skim the headlines and head straight the comedy section. The news is too overwhelming and depressing.

Limiting where and how I choose to consume information is curating my personal feed of how I want to view the world.

Do you seek out websites and forums of like-minded people that affirm your already held beliefs?

Are we creating a greater chasm because we choose to no longer be exposed to depressing realities and outrageous opposing views?

Is the way we consume information shaping our lives?

Linking up with Patti for Visible Monday, Turning Heads Tuesday and Fancy Friday

Would You Rather Be Heard Or Seen?

The Problem With Instagram

That was the question I posed to some of my bloggy friends. I’m troubled over the proliferation of social media and its emphasis on pleasant images rather than authentic commentary. Blogging is on the downturn and Instagram is booming.

More people simply want to look at you than hear you.

As a blogger this is discouraging. The platform is meant for expressing your thoughts and connecting with people. Sure, we can have pretty photos but if the blogger has no valuable information or commentary to offer me other than where they bought their latest pair of shoes, honestly I won’t bother visiting them again. There needs to be some kind of connection whether it be humour, activism, life stories, creative ideas or simple opinions. I need more substance than just pretty pictures.

Yes, of course there are exceptions to the rule, bloggers that are creative geniuses or those that take spectacular photos in exotic places are a source of visual inspiration however I can count those on one hand.

I’ll be honest, I’m not successful on Instagram, possibly because I feel it is mostly devoid of meaningful content. Instagram is filled to the brim with pretty images and quotes. I suppose the quotes are there to make us somehow feel that the time we’ve wasted scrolling through two hundred and fifty images in ten minutes is time well spent.

Am I “connecting” with anyone like that?

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To me, Instagram is based on photos without meaning and moments without truth.

I’ve never felt any kind of bond with anyone that I “met” and followed on Instagram. In comparison, I feel a certain kinship with the readers of my blog, especially if they comment. We know a bit about each other, we’ve invested some time getting to know how the other person thinks and what is important to them. Also, I’ve met some great real life friends via my blog. On Instagram I’m just scrolling as fast as my thumb will take me.

How does social media enhance my life?

The take away I get from social media is that it is simply a marketing strategy encouraging shameless self promotion and mindless consumption.

Am I missing something important and worthwhile Instagram offers that I haven’t figured out yet?

As far as Facebook and Twitter goes I stopped visiting those ages ago. As an Etsy seller and blogger I continue to have operating pages only because it is expected of me. I post automatically to them via Etsy or Instagram but I don’t frequent those sites more than once every few months. The value of them eludes me.

On Instagram you can leave a heart or hand clapping emojis in a fraction of a second.

It’s faster than reading a blog. People feel they’ve interacted on a much larger scale without investing the time. Is that truly a way of connecting? Are the hearts we receive meant to fill our heart with joy and acceptance? Does it make you feel that way?

I know I cannot force people to connect with me on the platform I prefer.

It’s such a shame because I’d drop all of my social media accounts in a heartbeat.

Blogging is where I can most fully express myself.

Many other bloggers I know feel the same way as myself while others dropped blogging altogether and are now only using Instagram. Certainly the amount of time and effort that goes into a blog is greater than that of an Instagram account.

All of the bloggers I asked said they would prefer to be heard rather than seen.

What about you? Would you rather been seen than heard? Does social media enhance your life and if so, how?

Linking up with Jess over at Turning Heads Tuesdays.