I have to admit it. I want to leave social.

I’ve wanted to leave since the Red Deer 2013 civic election. 2016 on social pretty well did me in. Thank you, I’ve had my serving of vitrol, peace out. That’s wrap. If you need me, I’ll be in the mountains teaching my kids what to do when the TP runs out. >MicDrop<

Seriously though – my feelings for social (since 2013) have affected almost everything. Personal connections, business, the whole deal. It’s not that I don’t get social – I just don’t respect it.

But wait!

Last year, i joined the Red Deer Social Media Breakfast committee (wait? what?). Pretty intimidating, but a good thing to do, i reckoned. Yesterday we had #smbrd48 at Westerner Park, with CoreBrand presenting on brand DNA. I looked around the room, and it occurred to me, the good people I know, have met, randomly photograph or work with from SMBRD are really nice. Without social, none of those relationships would exist, or would take years to cultivate.

Hmmm …

Maybe that’s where we need to look – closer to home. 10 years ago, we cast our twitter follows around the world – looking to catch on with early adopters, the famous and breaking news. With such a small ecosystem, it was easy.

A little more clarity is required

Small, intimate – safe. Some of that early joy from the inception of social is found in the smallness of it now, not the largeness. In the talk yesterday, Dwayne Holland talked of personal brand (mission, dreams, etc) driving business brands. Nowhere is a personal brand more prevalent than social.

I s’pose I won’t quit social. You called my bluff. But I think here is a lot to be said about all of us choosing what we want out of it …  and curating our feeds towards that. Don’t take it personally, just unfollow. Feel free to be friendly again.