Social Media : Adding Value Vs Wibble & Waffle

Now that spring is here, it finally feels like this year has trully started for me. The weather has shifted enough for me to feel less inclined to wear winter woollens and thicker sweatshirts and jackets.

Thank god for that.

But in some areas  I'm pushing ( and hard, it must be said), to get some business stuff from last year tied up and checked off . The hold ups are due to a combination of decision chains, of which I'm awaiting responses at different levels and also an odd quirk of luck/fate, where scenarios that were instigated have been held up somewhere, due to a lack of progress at some other level.

In other words, it's analogous to being stuck in traffic and edging along in a  'slowly.. then quickly' manner. There's progress, but it's a little erratic and quite unpredictable.

In effect, the same could be said of other scenarios in general, such as the rate of innovation we're currently seeing in once rapidly progressing areas and fields.

I'm being slightly vague and evasive, because the details of my scenarios aren't going to make interesting reading ( at least in my mind), and that's based on my own stance on common sense and rationality.

In effect, the struggles we currently face at a sociological level due to the use of  technology, are similar. Having discussed the pro's and con's of connectivity before, my attention is only on one thing.

And that is, how much is too much?

I'm refering to our use and exposure to the swathes of information and entertainment ( or 'infotainment', to coin a word), which is more constant and relentless than ever before in our lives. How much of a good or bad thing that is, depends upon your ability to ameliorate, understand and even ignore large amounts of it, for the sake of your own sanity and wellbeing.

After all , no one drank all their favourite beers, whiskies and wines in one day. Or indeed their favourite teas or coffees.

So at what point does a person decide when they've had enough or they can just 'tune out' ?

Is it when the level of exposure becomes a hinderance to their daily routines and affects relationships?

Or is it when the use of social media is no longer returning anything extra, in real terms? In other words, it's until the marginal utility of enjoyment (which does include marketing, but that's another discussion altogether) has now diminished sufficiently to unwarrant regular and/or consistent use.

But our need to interact with each other at a basic biological level is what feeds our need to communicate using some channel or outlet. And that is what social media and technology provides like never before.

However, in the cycle of innovation, social media has now been around long enough to try something different. At least in theory.

In effect, either we're on the cusp of a new age of interaction, which is less intensive and more ( dare I say it) intuitively more congruent with what we want and need at a basic human level.

OR

We're heading for a level of useage that if it were measurable, quantifiable and benchmarked, would constitute addiction and addictive behaviours. Replete with all manner of physical and cognitive side-effects.

It's food for thought. I can only hope it's the former, cause the latter doesn't warrant a healthier society in my opinion. Especially over the long term.

On that note, it's time to pack my gym bag and head out.

I won't share the details of my workout. Not because I have anything to hide, but because I don't consider it to be information worth sharing en masse. 

In other words, it's all wibble and waffle, rather than adding value, as far as I'm concerned.

But each to their own.

Now where did I put my headphones?


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