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The Delicate Balance

 I have had the pleasure to work in 2 different fields in my lifetime. One was law enforcement and the other as a manager for a library. Both of them have helped me realize that I should stop using Facebook, or at least limiting my use to 2 or 3 times a couple times a month. I have had clients who posted crimes or threats online and then be shocked when it was brought up in court. I have seen multiple future prospects for jobs lose out on a position because of a flippant comment made on Facebook the day before an interview. Now I have never posted images of myself committing crimes or making fun of a business before I had an interview, but the ease of how one can discover my posts scared me into viewing Facebook differently than I had when I was younger. These along with my own feelings of anxiousness and regret I experienced when I was a habitual Facebook user led me to stop using the platform. I don't think that it would be fair of me to say that no one should have anything to do with Facebook or Meta in general, but on a personal level, it has done wonders saying no to the platforms. For Facebook to be used healthy and to its fullest effect, I think that the users must have a stable off-line existence first. I have watched many TED Talks on different aspects of social media, and I had a friend send this one to me awhile back. Bailey Parnell TEDx does a great job in my opinion of highlighting reasons why I personally felt the need to back off of social media. I also realize that this in itself can be hard to achieve. It is such a slippery slope of finding the right balance between the online world and the physical world, especially if your primary communication form is through the online form.


Although I have these opinion's on how Facebook effects my mental health, I do realize how important social media is to others. It is undeniably important in the business aspect. Currently at my job we are always exploring different ways of interacting with our patrons. When we partnered with a local marketing company, we were astounded by how using the right social media platform could raise the actual number of patrons that come through the door. They helped us realize that we needed to use our Instagram more due to the desired patrons we wanted to see. The below image shows the correlation between your business and the recommended social media platform. Khoros, the company that created the image, is a global customer engagement company that helps with social media engagement.


The help that came from the marketing company made us realize that even though we are a library, who deals primarily in physical items, we cannot forget the importance of social media. Since then, the benefits have been shown day after day.







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