We’ve been reading it and hearing about it more frequently of late; people wondering, “is it time for a social media break?” The reasons for taking a break from social media vary wildly based on whom you’re speaking with.
People may want to take a break from social because:
- It makes them feel inadequate about their own lives
- It is too political
- It is too religious
- It is taking too much time out of their day
- It is stressful — bottom line, regardless of the reason
Is It Time For A Social Media Break?
If you rely on social media to help run your business and connect with potential customers, taking a break from social for an extended period of time may not be feasible. We wonder, though, do you need to be online — on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn or any other social platform — on the weekends? Could you do a social detox on a Saturday or Sunday or both?
If you used scheduling tools for your social updates would that make it easier to step away? Sure, you can’t connect with your customers via a social scheduling app, but perhaps they don’t expect you to respond on the weekends. Or maybe you take a weekday off from social and work a day on the weekend. Maybe you can schedule a social detox.
If you’re wondering if it’s time for a social media break, consider this:
- Do you check social media before you fall asleep at night?
- Are you grabbing your phone and checking social media as soon as you wake up in the morning?
- Do you scroll through social media while you’re in the bathroom?
- Are you continually checking social media even when you’re with friends and family?
- Do you find yourself getting upset or sad when you scroll through?
- Are you obsessed with how many likes or comments your social posts receive?
- Are you continually thinking about what your next post will be?
If you answered yes to any of these — or all of these — it may be time to step away from social, even for a few hours. We heard that people check their phones and social media more than fifty times a day! Take a day and track how many times you check social or your phone and see if you fall in with the average or if you’re online on your phone even more frequently. If so, you may need to take a break.
You can let your followers know, “I will be stepping away from social on Wednesdays and Sundays. Know that I will respond to you and your comments when I am back online. Won’t you join me in my digital detox?” Who knows, you may start a trend!
Don’t forget you could outsource your social media posting and interactions and that may make it easier to step away. If you’re interested in that, drop us a message — we can help!