It’s Not You, It’s Me – Taking a Break from Social Media

For many of us, our attention is constantly being pulled toward the digital world.  Whether it’s monitoring our personal or business social media sites, checking news sites for the latest industry information or being glued to our emails, individuals are finding it increasingly important to stay connected.

Are we starting to feel obligated to check in?  Do you start to sweat if your phone, tablet or laptop isn’t right by your side?

According to a 2011 Ispos Media study, affluent Millennials were spending more than 40 hours online during the week, a number that has likely grown higher in the past two years. Because of the constant access we have to all forms of media, it’s getting harder and harder to check out for the weekend, let alone a couple hours in the evening.

Burn out?

With the constant exposure to information, are we beginning to burn out? The answer isn’t exactly clear yet, but the next big thing could involve taking a break or limiting online activity.

Individuals are starting to make a concerted effort to disconnect during the day and for even longer periods of time on weekends and holidays. A recent post by Ilana Rabinowitz of Social Media Explorer highlighted the countertrend of taking a break from technology. Rabinowitz referenced a recent issue of Fast Company that focused on one of social media’s most active users and his decision to unplug for 25 days.

What does this mean for marketers?

While this likely won’t become the norm, we have to ask ourselves, “What does that mean for marketers?” It isn’t breaking news that consumers are hit with a large amount of news and information every day. That’s where the challenge comes.

As marketers, we rely heavily on online behavior to help identify and develop the newest trends. So how do we combat the audience logging off?

Simply, we must make that message worth our audience’s time. Due to the volume of information out there, the immediacy and relevance of our message are crucial in captivating our audience before they check out. While people might start taking notice of how much time they spend on their computers, phones and tablets, it’s not going to change the role of social media and digital marketing. For marketers, it reinforces the importance of concise, relevant messages for our consumers because they may only receive messages intermittently as they disengage and reengage on their personal schedules.