Want to start off the new year with a nicer, happier, more interesting online experience? One way to do it is to take the time to declutter your social media. Keep the connections that add value to your life and get rid of the rest. You might also want to cancel accounts on social media websites that you have stopped using.
Social media can be fun and entertaining. Unfortunately, it also has the potential to turn into a drama-filled, stressful, nightmare of a place to visit. The problem with following too many people is that it makes it hard to find the posts that come from those that are closest to you.
This year, your New Year’s Resolution could be to declutter your social media. Cut your connections to the people (or companies) that no longer bring joy to your world. Doing so will make your online experience more rewarding.
Not sure where to begin? Here are some criteria that will help you to weed out your garden of connections on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and whatever other social media you use.
* You followed that company because they were having a contest. Is the contest over? Unfollow!
* Bookmark your favorite news websites and unfollow them. You can easily access the news from their website when you are ready (and have the time) to read it. Do this and you will find that it takes less time to scroll through your social media.
* A family member has a habit of posting things that are racist, sexist, or otherwise deeply troubling. Now is a great time to use the “mute” function on that person. He or she will never know that you have opted-out of seeing the ugliness they are posting.
* Your social media has become filled with retweets, reposts, or reblogs from one person – and what they are sharing is not something you are interested in. Unfollow them for a while. You can reconnect later when their reposting spree is over.
* Who on earth is this person you followed? If you cannot answer that question, it is a sign that you should stop following them. This is especially true if you discover the stuff they post is not interesting to you anymore.
* Unfollow the accounts of products you no longer use. They are just taking up space!
* Have you noticed that the majority of what one person posts are advertisements for their book, their company, or a service they provide? Go ahead and unfollow them (unless you truly intend to buy whatever they are selling).
Image by Maria Elena on Flickr.
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