Can a Business Owner or Social Media Manager Unplug?

A recurring discussion among social media managers is the difficulty we face “unplugging.”

 

Source: Smartphones are the New Cigarettes (http://loldwell.com)

 

I saw this cartoon and laughed at the awful reality of it! Any social media manager or business owner could write a list of many more symptoms of smartphone dependence, couldn’t we? Do any of these sound familiar?

 

True Tales of Smartphone Dependence

 

1) “What? You want my undivided attention? But we have our whole LIVES to spend together!”

Did you hear that marketing-savvy resorts are now offering honeymooners an “unplugged experience” at destinations promising to have “no Wi-Fi, phones, or TV”?

I don’t know any social media manager or business owner who would (or could) take an unplugged honeymoon. Well, not willingly. We check to make sure any vacation destination we’re headed to has either wi-fi or good cell phone coverage. No instant access? No go.

Cool business idea: An online “Can you hear me now?” map we can use to plan our vacations. No coverage in that once-in-a-lifetime tropical locale? At least we can plan around it.

 

2) Social Media Managers Need Sleep

Do you sleep with your smartphone so you can check it in the middle of the night? I know at least three business owners who do (no, I’m not one of them — but I won’t speak for Scott).

One social media manager friend is talking about starting a new business that will give brand managers a break. Many solopreneurs, small businesses, and self-employed freelancers have customers in different time zones. While you’re sleeping, someone on the other side of the world might be trying to reach you via Twitter with a desperate public plea for help that your big-box “we’re here when you are” competition is listening for. It’d be nice to have the customer service angle covered during those times you have to unplug out of sheer necessity.

You know, like sleeping.

I’ve been encouraging my friend to go for it, but he’s too busy managing multiple social media accounts to take the idea any further.

 

3) Social Media Managers Need Showers and Baths

A graphic designer and writer friend uses her smartphone while she showers. I asked her how she keeps her phone from getting wet. She wipes her hands on a dry facecloth laying on the floor outside the tub, then uses the shower curtain liner as a barrier between her phone and the spray.

She’s been complaining a lot lately about her phone “acting wonky.” Hmm. You think?

I admit to checking my phone while brushing my teeth. I only need one hand to brush my teeth once the toothpaste is on the brush.

 

4) Social Media Managers Need Time With Their Children

Another social media manager admitted to checking her smartphone while at the state fair with her very young daughter. (You know who you are!) She really did have to stay checked in, because she has a lot of clients. I remember how happy she was that she didn’t have to respond to a single person that day. No emergencies!

There are some self-employed professionals who really can’t take the day off unless they’re willing to risk the ire of a customer who’s not getting their needs met. Honestly, it only takes one angry person on your social media radar to start a fire and escalate it while your back is turned. A timely response can prevent a wildfire.

I’m glad by the time I needed a smartphone, our daughter was a young adult so she wouldn’t think I loved my Twitter friends more than I loved her.

 

5) Social Media Managers Can’t Even Pretend to Pay Attention

At a youth group I lead every week, I used to ask the teens to drop their smartphones in a basket we passed around at the start of the evening. They were so upset and offended, I eventually let it go. I mean, parents are using their smartphones during church services, checking email and social media feeds.

I know one guy who plays Angry Birds during church. I’m not naming names.

I’ll say this: teen smartphone addiction has upped my teaching game. I consider it a victory when I only see one or two teens looking into their laps over the span of that hour.

 

6) Social Media Managers Are the New Firefighters

Another social media manager friend of mine says she can’t ever truly unplug, because her brand has such a high risk of “bad experiences” being shared via social media. She’s in the blood donation field. Dentists, hospitals, and restaurants are in the same “immediate intervention required” category of social media management.

I’m glad I’m not in any of those industries. I might have to start sleeping with my smartphone.

Anyone remember the Greenpeace vs. Nestle social media nightmare? I’ll bet whoever’s in charge of Nestle’s PR and social media management today sleeps with his smartphone — if he sleeps at all.

 

Share your own stories of the new reality of smartphone dependence!