3 Ways to Get On Top of Social Media Before it Gets on Top of You

700 billion minutes.

That’s how much time Facebook’s 500 million active users spend on the site every month! 700 000 000 000 minutes. That’s the equivalent of 1,3 million years – nearly 18 000 lifetimes!

And 7 years ago Facebook didn’t even exist! What did we use to do with all that time??

A recent study of media habits found that 33% of people surveyed admitted to checking Facebook before they even went to the bathroom in the morning; 21% admitted to checking it in the middle of the night; and half of them considered themselves Facebook addicts. Clearly something about Facebook has captivated us and drawn us in.

Me personally? I love social media – Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc. (just not LinkedIn – please stop sending me invites!) They have all helped me build a platform, learn from influential leaders, and stay in touch with friends around the world in remarkable ways.

But even as I type this on my iPad I have a sinking feeling of being overwhelmed.

And I’m beginning to feel like maybe, just maybe, all of my devices, my gadgets, my apps, my social media, own me as much as I own them. As they constantly beep, buzz and vibrate around me, screaming for my attention, I’m starting to wonder whether all this was a good idea in first place.

Now please don’t get me wrong – social media and technology are good things. But, like most good things, they can become bad things.

Social media is both a blessing and a curse.

How we use it will determine which one it will be in our lives. Here are a few tips that can guide us along the way:

1) Own Up

No one likes to admit they’re addicted to something, but if you want to get on top of your habits, you’ve got to own up.

Ask your friends/spouse/children/parents, “Am I using my iPhone/Blackberry too much? Am I on Facebook too much?” Even if their answer is subjective, it is still helpful. Chances are if your wife says you are using your iPad too much, you probably are. (Thanks darling!)

Of course there is no right answer to “How much is too much?”, but a really good exercise is to record how much time you spend on Facebook in a given week. We generally tend to underestimate, and a good look at the raw data may be shocking and revealing.

2) Set Boundaries

I am convinced that in our information overloaded culture, discipline is becoming more and more key. Establishing clear boundaries, while tough to do at first, creates freedom and space in our lives. If we are always just reacting to our devices, compulsively checking email or scrolling through News Feeds, then it’s too easy for technology to get a grip on us and suffocate us.

Some ideas may be to have designated times in your family for going online, or perhaps a “tech-free hour” where you gather for a meal and everyone has to put their phones in a basket or switch them off.

The point is find ways of putting boundaries on your social media that work for you/your family – and force yourself to live within those boundaries.

3) Enjoy It

Having owned up, and established clear boundaries, you are then free to just enjoy the wonders of the Interweb! As I said, social media can be a wonderful thing. But we enjoy it most, when we enjoy it best.

Thanks to Tim Challies for the helpful info and statistics.

Platforms & Influence

This is a guest post by one of my favourite bloggers Jon Acuff that really articulates well the tension of self-promotion on the one hand, and Christ-like humility on the other, in our modern Christian culture.

How do you grow a personal platform while at the same time honoring John 3:30 that says, “He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease?”

I don’t have a solution, just a question, and it’s one I’ve been struggling with.

I love that right now it’s possible for ordinary people like me to build platforms and maybe have influence. Without social media, I wouldn’t have been able to ever publish the Stuff Christians Like book. I love platforms!

But, as a Christian, I also wrestle with the ego aspects that often go along with them.

For me, the great temptation is to say, “If I get a bigger platform, then more people will know about me, and I’ll then be able to tell those people about God.” And I think that starts in a good place, but eventually in my own life and countless other leaders I’ve seen, that idea gets corrupted into: “If I get a bigger platform, then more people will know about me. The end.”

So with the thousands of tools we have to build our “personal brands,” and the very real good that can come from platforms (we built two kindergartens!) where does John 3:30 fit in? What’s the balance?

And if you know Hebrew and can say, “The heart of that verse has nothing to do with personal branding, proceed getting drunk on your own ego,” that would really help me out.

Question:
In what ways can a Christian go about building a platform while keeping God front and center?

My Mom is on Facebook

So you finally caved. You’ve accepted a friend request from your mom.

Don’t worry, everyone’s doing it.

In fact, according to surveys by InsideFacebook.com the fastest growing age category on Facebook is 55-65! And in a more recent study, it was also shown that a large percentage of iPad users fell into the “senior” category. So, what does this all mean? Is it because the older generation are simply the late adopters, and up till now they’ve still been trying to figure out how the mouse works, or are they truly becoming more and more tech savvy?

I think it’s a bit of both.

But one things for sure – for the most part our parents are not afraid to learn and try new things. And as the next generation we must be careful not to dismiss or undermine their wisdom and experience (simply cause they don’t know how to use their Blackberry).

The bible says “honour your parents”. It encourages us to learn and share across the generations – that both sides have things to gain from each other.

And so maybe, if we let them, the ballies could still teach us a thing or two…