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FeedSpree Style with Erin Habes: Balancing your digital connection
Share it, pin it, like it, Tweet it. I’m pretty social media savvy, but I have been holding out on the indulgence of Pinterest, until now. Why might you ask? Well how many social media outlets can one truly have? If you really think about it, it is overwhelming. Though everything serves a purpose and living a “digital life” is the wave of today and the future, embedded in our culture in every way. My thought process on social media and “sharing” is simple, and boils down to a few factors I am going to share with you to help you maintain your sanity.
First off, you must give up one social media obsession for another. Balancing your life and how much time you spend on Facebook and other avenues needs to become a conscious decision. Everyone’s time is precious, so pick your poison on where you spend it. In the words of my friend Jasmine, “I can’t wrap my head around Second Life, I can barely handle this life, let alone a second life.” So true. In my experience if you add Twitter to your repertoire, with Facebook being the root of all social media, perhaps you can do without FourSquare or Words with Friends. Talking about this is a bit like speaking a foreign language, I know. But, being involved in some form of social media does give us sense of freedom where we can associate with whom we wish, the brands we like, the stores we shop at, and what products we like to buy.
Opening up a whole new “visual” world we can all view and share, Pinterest has really piqued my interest the past few weeks, with its lifestyle approach to sharing imagery and creating boards. What’s interesting is the fact that it has appealed to such a broad range of ages. For example, my mother has become obsessed with “scrolling” and “pinning”. It’s like FFFFound.com for the OCD individual. It is perfect for anyone who is planning a wedding, an event, loves the DIY culture, photography, cooking, interior design, and beyond. It really does span a wide range of interests, and it is addicting, although I don’t quite understand the current allure of the humble Mason jar. If you are already “pinning”, you’ll know what I mean.
Creative intelligence is always going to be overwhelming with all the different ways you can share parts of your life online. I’ve only just skimmed the top of that frothy skinny latte most of you sip while cruising and updating your second life. I can only hope that the idea of “balancing” your social life online is some food for thought. Now, re-Tweet this, share it on your Facebook timeline, "like" it, and pin it on your board!
There's a gendered aspect to Pinterest, too, that's really interesting. Pretty sure my current count of male Facebook friends on Pinterest is a whopping TWO. Compared to about 40 female friends. Don't yet know what it means, not willing to speculate because Pinterest is just gaining steam, but it's notable.