The Pressing Issue

At SMR Social we’re people too. Just like everyone else. We’re of a generation that grew up as children before the big technology boom, but we were young enough to see it unfold right in front of our eyes and not be too late to understand it all. We’re grateful for that, because we feel it gives us a good balance between keeping up with the latest trends, and remembering that there’s a real world out there beyond our phones. But this isn’t the case for everyone, and we’re not just talking about a younger generation than ourselves. Just yesterday on our walk along the Nantwich canal there were 2 men in their 40s-50s walking the opposite way to us glued to their phones. 1 of the men nearly bumped into us because he didn’t once look up, and when he was startled by our presence he quickly began to panic and look for his dog. It’s a bit of a shame. But the issue here is the latest news we’re reading about ‘social media depression.’

They’ve Given it a Label

An interesting health study in the US [Source: http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/is-social-media-making-you-feel-depressed/story-30261237-detail/story.html] has found that their participants were more likely to develop depression the more they checked social media to see what other people are up to. You can see it unfold in front of your eyes if you’ve ever watched someone who’s new to social media start to enjoy it. They love to see what their friends are up to each day, and start to post updates themselves.

Then Things get…Complicated

Unfortunately, it doesn’t really stop there. As marketers we often get caught up in the numbers and algorithms and all of that good stuff, but at SMR Social we’re constantly reminding each other that behind those numbers are real people. People that may be having a great day, people that may have just got some bad news and are scrolling through Instagram for comfort. We bare this in mind a lot, so that we can put a positive spin on all of our content and adverts. Wouldn’t you rather people associate your brand with content that cheered them up that time they were feeling a bit lonely? Content that they shared with their best friend because “omg this is so you!” There’s an opportunity here for brands to have a positive impact on their audience, and we say take that opportunity and bring some joy to your audience. But why are people getting depressed because of social media?

False Validity

We’re possibly very lucky here at SMR Social. Our job is to post content for your business on social media, and our desire if for that content to spread like wildfire and get a huge reaction from your audience. Our need for people to respond to your content on social media is fulfilled every day when we check the stats and see if yesterday’s post got more ‘likes’ that the post from the day before. We sit on social media for most of the day. It means that when it comes to our personal lives, we’re not really that bothered about what’s going on. I personally try to kick social media to the back of my mind when I’m not working so that I get a break from it. Which means on a personal level, I’m not hunting for likes or comparing my own life with all of my friends. Which is a huge problem in the world we live in today.

This Video Demonstrates it Perfectly!

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