Social Media Burnout

by Allyson Pryor on Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

Last week, I read a really interesting article about Matthew Keys, Reuter’s deputy social media editor, and his decision to leave Twitter. After more than 46,000 tweets and with an audience of over 12,000, Keys made the decision to depart from Twitter in an attempt to tune out and also to focus on what may be the so-called “next big thing” in social media. Will we all feel the need to tune out from social media at some point in our lives? If so, what does that mean for brands trying to reach consumers experiencing social media fatigue?

It’s safe to say that many of us are obsessed with social media. Can we go so far as to say we’re addicted? Probably. A slew of studies have been published over the last couple of years detailing the effect social media has on our everyday lives. Checking Facebook before we go to sleep at night and again when we wake up, pinning at the dinner table, Instagramming at the gym, tweeting on the toilet (yes, that’s right). At what point will enough be enough? Can we remain connected for the rest of our lives? Do we have the energy to continue to tweet every day, upload photos, post status updates? And this is just within the social platforms we have to use right now, mind you. Imagine what’s to come in the future.

The upside for brands is that those they are trying to reach are more plugged in than ever before. Social media has become ever-present in our society, and it is difficult to imagine this changing anytime in the near future. The downside is that it’s more difficult to grab the attention of social media participants whose Twitter and Facebook feeds have become background noise that is largely overlooked.

So should brands greatly increase the number of their tweets or updates to compensate? Not unless you want to create brand fatigue, too. As always, the most important aspect of social media is engagement, not bombardment. In a world of push, you should pull. Listen and respond. Sure, consistency is important, but don’t overcompensate with a barrage of tweets or updates.

Let us know if you’re experiencing social media fatigue in the comments below!

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Comments

http://www.facebook.com/zasylvan Zack Sylvan

This topic definitely needs more attention. Social is extremely useful and addicting, but I think to dodge fatigue we need to be creating more advanced platforms and apps that help us make our lives better and easier. (When I say “easier,” I don’t mean lazier.) Facebook and Twitter will most likely do a great job evolving and incorporating fancy new features, but I’m not convinced that it will keep all of us hooked. There needs to be another way for it to be improving our lives while being better integrated as well. Yes, people (like Matthew Keys) will make their social media exits, but most of us will continue to use it to keep in touch, keep up with brands, etc. It’s all we have to use right now for instant gratification, but I hope we hold on to the fact that it won’t ever replace face-to-face. Great post, @Allyson
- http://www.facebook.com/allysonpryor Allyson Pryor
  
  I agree with you, Zack. It’s difficult to keep up with all of the social channels currently available to us. Twitter and Facebook have both done a great job of making things “easier,” but I find myself steering more and more towards Twitter and away from Facebook. But I’m with you, in that I will stick around to keep in touch and follow brands, etc. Maybe a few years down the line only a few of us will be left or maybe social media will continue to grow. Who knows, but creativity and ease of use will definitely play a part in who sticks around. 100% with you on face to face. The NUMBER ONE thing people must remember as social media consumes our lives! Thanks so much for your feedback!

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