Are you an Intentional User or a Passive Consumer?

Given my work in social media,  you might find it surprising that I’m a big advocate of moderating my time on social media platforms. Why? Because I believe social media is a powerful tool for good! However, when used in excess or in the wrong way, social media actually loses its amazing power.

Let me explain. 

Like so many others, you’ve probably fallen into the trap of being what I call a passive consumer at one time or another. You pull up Instagram or Tik Tok or Facebook, and you scroll and scroll and scroll some more.

Being a passive consumer is a horrible strategy for using social media - much like showing up at the store without knowing what you want to buy. You’re bound to leave with a lot you didn’t want or need! 

Rather than showing up as a passive consumer, my goal is to always be an intentional user. Intentional users actively enjoy the full benefits of fun, connection, and inspiration that social media has to offer - without letting themselves fall into the mindless wandering of the passive consumer.

Here are my top tips for becoming an intentional user:

One: Have a clear goal in mind.

Before you even open the app, ask yourself what the purpose of your time on social media is going to be. This purpose doesn’t have to be work or school related in order to be valid! The idea here is to cut away all unnecessary distractions, not to cut away all fun. 

Before I tap on an icon or even before I pick up my phone, I have a goal in mind for the time I’ll spend. For instance, I’m hopping on now in search of inspiration or to check out different trends. I’m getting on to post content and interact with the accounts in my feed. I’m getting on to see what my clients are up to today. 

Having a clear goal and acting on that goal is the first, and most important step to being an intentional user.

TWO: Set time limits.

Contrary to what a lot of other social media coaches are going to say, you do not need to spend endless hours on social media. You don’t even have to get on every day. Set time limits and parameters to help you use these apps well.

Instagram’s Quiet Mode is a great focus tool that I covered in a previous post. To help you focus even more, though, simply open your iPhone and go to Settings > Screen Time > App Limits and select the daily amount of time you’d like to spend on each social media platform. You can always turn the time limit off later, but the daily reminder that you have reached your limit on an app can help you be more mindful of how you’re spending (or wasting) your time on social media.

three: Keep your Community in mind!

As business owners we want to use these platforms as a way to engage with our people. (Honestly this is true for personal accounts as well.) Part of the beauty and greatness of these apps is the chance to engage and connect in a personal way with the people who follow you. 

When you open your favorite app, a passive consumer simply scrolls through and lets the others do the interacting and engaging. Hence the passive part of that title. 

On the other hand, the intentional user uses his/her time to be an active part of the community they are cultivating. It is about responding to comments and DMs, engaging with others, interacting with content shared. 

What steps are you taking to be more intentional on social media? How are you actively taking steps to make your social media feed serve your needs and interests? Let me know!