Happy Monday, everyone!
Just curious: how many of you check your social media at work? Obviously the work I am paid to do [usually] comes first, and of course there are busy days where I barely have a chance to stretch my legs and refill my water bottle, let alone see what's going on in the interwebs...
However, I have begun to recognize that taking a little social media break during the day is just as beneficial for my mental health as a walk around the block on my lunch break (which unfortunately probably won't happen as often as the summer heat starts to hit us). Taking a few minutes to check in on friends, find a funny meme, or even look at my "on this day" posts gives me an opportunity to reset and prepare to knock the next task off my to-do list.
Social media is even an aspect of the job -- while I sadly do not manage it, the hotel I work at has an Instagram account, and we're constantly interacting with guests and local influencers. It's amazing to me that someone gets paid to manage social media for a company -- that barely existed 10 years ago, but it has certainly gained momentum since then (and I'm sure Dr. Dennen has some amazing insight on the trends she's observed in that time). Even if the rest of us aren't managing IG or tweeting for a company, we're still using platforms to connect with our coworkers. My hotel uses Microsoft Teams, so staff can instant message, host virtual meetings, and share projects during the day. This makes it so much quicker than drafting an e-mail and awaiting a reply, and allows for a little more casual conversation and banter that makes it easier to build relationships at works. Teams even incorporates emojis and surprisingly timely and relevant gifs to share!
Anyway, I should head back to work -- and so should you! Leave a comment if you have had similar experiences using social media and/or communication platforms at work!
-Ello
Hi! I hadn't really thought about the benefits of checking in with my friends and family on Instagram at lunch or when I'm walking down the hall at school, but you're so right. What a mood booster! Unfortunately for me, Twitter can have the opposite effect if I see an awful news story. I wanted to add that besides being a teacher, I'm a social media manager, and it's the wildest job because you're right-- it's constant. Always replying and commenting and posting and liking. Just this weekend we made it to 10k on our Instagram, and I immediately posted a "swipe up" story since you can't do those until you have 10K. Not that long ago someone would be reading that sentence like... you did...what???
ReplyDeleteCONGRATS ON 10K! That's huge, and I definitely can't completely comprehend what would go into managing an account that large (and having the influence to earn the perks of a "swipe up"). I feel like a job for that position now would require almost 10 years of experience, so someone who started right when social media became a thing might JUST be able to get it!
DeleteI definitely hear you re: sad news -- when the recent Atlanta massage parlor shootings happened, I took a day off work and just watched my feeds/tried sharing anti-racist articles and resources.
Hi Ello,
ReplyDeleteI think if I had a different job, I would check social media once or twice during the day. The reality of my job (a grade 2 teacher) is 22 little active learners who I am either teaching, helping or answering their questions. Like you mention, when I am busy and motivated, I completely forgot to check social media. But if I am procrastinating, I check social media. I like the idea of using social media as "an opportunity to reset" I think I will take your advice and try that this week. It is so easy to get caught up in the business and pressures of the day, I think taking a break to connect and laugh at a funny video or meme would be great for me. My school uses Teams as well, but my colleagues and I still use email and texting to communicate throughout the day. I do like how Teams has the emojis and GIFs though. This year, I started using Teams to communicate to parents. We do Friday learning updates and I put my projector on the screen and students help me compose a message for their parents to view over the weekend. It is a nice platform for sharing, especially because parents are cut off from the classroom this year.
Lissa, I love how you use Teams to interact with families -- and even more that you compose the message together with your students. We only use Teams internally, but it's great for a quick question or to joke around with my coworkers -- for more involved work issues, I definitely prefer to communicate via e-mail so I can track the updates a little better.
DeleteLet me know how the social media reset works! I know how silly it sounds, but I have found that it helps :)
Hi Ello, it has been a week and have been trying to check social media during my lunch break this week. I am happy to report that I think it helps me! I find it takes my mind away from work and it is refreshing! I will continue to try this. Thank you for the suggestion!
DeleteI'm so glad it's working out! This past week was part of our busy time (every month-end...like clockwork), and I would look up from my computer and realize it had been hours since I got up from my desk or engaged with another person -- those little breaks can be lifelines for me!
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