Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of maintaining privacy and a balanced social media presence, advocating for strategic sharing and prioritizing personal time.

Abstract

The article "You Matter More Than Your Followers, Sorry" discusses the challenges of balancing privacy with an active social media life. It suggests that while engagement on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn is common, it's crucial to manage the time spent and the content shared. The author, who uses social media for work, recommends leveraging the 'art of mystery' by posting less frequently to increase the value of each post, thus maintaining genuine engagement with followers. The article also advises planning content in advance to avoid getting sidetracked by social media trends and to allocate time for activities unrelated to social media to preserve mental health. Ultimately, it encourages readers to prioritize their well-being over constant online presence, arguing that both individuals and their followers benefit from this balance.

Opinions

The author believes that influencers often compromise the authenticity of their content by over-posting and promoting products without genuine endorsement.
Posting infrequently is seen as a way to make content more valuable and engaging to followers.
Social media can encroach on personal time, and the author suggests that users should pre-plan their posts to minimize time spent on these platforms.
The article criticizes the tendency to mimic popular trends on social media for the sake of relevance rather than originality.
It is important to schedule time away from social media to engage in offline activities, which contributes to better mental health.
The author emphasizes that followers do not need to know every detail of one's life and that users should prioritize their own privacy and well-being.

You Matter More Than Your Followers, Sorry

You can have privacy and share your life on social media

Having privacy while being active on social media is a mystery to me.

Sure, you can do your little Twitter post rants every day. Show a little skin on Instagram for your followers to drool at your lavish lifestyle. Maybe say hi to some old friends on Facebook. And get your LinkedIn article ready to post while you anxiously read comments to make sure every single one is positive.

That’s great. You’ve finished your day. Now the privacy can begin. But here’s the problem — you only have one hour left in the day.

A couple of Twitter rants turned into ten Twitter rants. A little bit of skin on Instagram turned into seven pictures taken with a few diabolical filters to make it nice enough to post. Saying hi to a few friends on Facebook turned into a three-hour high school reunion. And your LinkedIn article turned into four hours of paying attention to negative comments and getting saddened about your day.

Where’s the line between sharing your life on social media and having enough private time for yourself? Let’s get into it.

Use the art of mystery to your advantage.

For someone like me who’s literal job is posting articles online and engaging with followers, I can’t delete my apps at the drop of a hat like so many people recommend.

But most people who need to be on social media for their job don’t understand the power of mystery. Sometimes we get so used to posting our business every day that we don’t stop and think about what our audience wants.

Influencers can sell you the shittiest makeup and clothes. Heck, if they wanted to sell you a plastic bag they found on the street, someone would buy it and they know it.

It’s like, “Are you recommending this brand to me because you genuinely find it helpful? Are you just trying to make a quick buck? Or are you high?” More than likely it’s the last two. That’s a great way to show you care about your followers. Not naming any names (Kylie Jenner).

*Cough*

To be honest, posting less makes it more genuine when you actually have something to promote.

The less you post, the more valuable your posts are to your followers.

Now I’m not saying don’t post at all. But there’s a difference between being consistent and straight-up spamming your audience with mediocre content. Trust me, people want to know what’s going on with you but they don’t need to know every waking detail about your life. They follow you for THEIR benefit and not yours.

Just give them what they want and get off. Less is more in this situation.

Know what you’ll post before you get on social media.

Social media is a very “in the moment” type space.

Most people don’t even know what they’ll post when they get on and they usually get an idea of what it’ll be by scouring the web. They look at different hashtags or topics and see what’s popular first.

Almost like those fun dance challenges on TikTok. Oh, the Toosie Slide is popping right now? Hold my beer.

I’ve found it easier to stay off social media if I already know what I’m going to post. That way I don’t get distracted by other chatter I see on the platform. Once I know what I’ll post, it only takes two seconds to put it up, then I got off immediately and enjoy the rest of my day.

You don’t have to get on social media for creative inspiration. It’s all around you and once it’s clear in your mind what content you’ll share, you won’t have to spend more time on social media.

Always have some free Netflix and chill time in your day.

When you have a social media job that feels like free time, it’s hard to distinguish when you’re chilling and working.

So the best way to combat this is to schedule some time in your day to do something completely different than what you normally do. Do something that has absolutely no social media involved. Preferably, something with no internet.

Play those old-ass board games collecting dust in your garage. Does anyone even know what Candy Land is anymore?

Instead of scheduling my free time around my job, I schedule my job around my free time. Don’t get me wrong, my job is extremely important to me, but my mental health is more important.

Make your schedule bend for you. It’s what you deserve.

Final Thoughts

Is it possible to have private time and share most of your life on social media?

Yes. You can lower your time on these platforms by using the art of mystery to your advantage, knowing what you’ll post beforehand, and prioritizing yourself more when you make your schedule.

You don’t have to share everything about yourself for your followers to be happy. They need breaks too.

I’m sure they’ll understand if you need one. We all need our privacy and it’s time we start acting on it rather than prioritizing social media.

Oh, it’s that time of the day again. Time to Netflix and chill. Peace.