Today more than ever, our engagements, wedding, births and new jobs are all projected on social media. I personally believe that social media does more harm than good, and yes I have it!
Every day I am bombarded with picture after picture, birth, marriages, eulogies to grandma kitty, even new items of clothes! God damned be this revolving wheel of idealism and self projection! It is quite simply nonsense! One isn't going to write about that fight one had with the missus in which you called her a "annoying b£2#!" or that time you lost your temper and smacked your child enough to make it cry. But you are going to twist and morph your life and present an image, an idealised one at that to the world for consumption?
Social media is also a hotspot for paedophiles to communicate and to prey on children via the web. It also has revolutionised the term "cyber bullying", most notably the organisation "ask FM" where users can ask questions about themselves and then receive answers from their peers anonymously. So, for example, someone may ask "am I attractive?" and receive either a barrage of abuse and rejection or a delightful boost of ego. Ahh Blissful days, when this would all be directed to you in person.
Is this what we have brought up our young people to believe? That you must be popular, skinny, and get 100 facebook likes to be considered "cool".
Now let's all take a moment of self-reflection, life is not a competition, write your own book kids not someones elses! Just because ten people got engaged this week via facebook doesn't mean that you should, your time will come, and just because that person liked your facebook picture it doesn't mean that they want you to text them and ask them out. All social media is really underneath the glitter of photos and competitions is an unreality where users can enter and either feel elation or dejection. Total Nonsense! Anyways as a marketer I have no choice but to utilize it as best I can although I do wish sometimes I didn't have to! Oh the life of a gardener! Hmmm….
