Welcome to my 2016 A to Z series on how to establish a meaningful minimum for social media as part of a balanced life. Over the next 26 days, I’ll take a quick look at some of the pluses and minuses of social media and how to adapt it to your own needs and plans.
The first topic I want to discuss is accountability.
I had never belonged to any sort of accountability group until a friend invited me to join an online writing group to practice daily writing. Meetings were held 24/7 in the form of a closed Facebook group.
Despite my belief that such approaches were usually a washout with me, I suspended disbelief and wrote every day, ignoring the voices which said, “This is stupid” and “it’ll never work.”
Months later, when I was on a trip to England, I realized that the accountability of the writing group (we posted our word count daily) had actually made a difference in my life. Finally, I’d developed a daily writing habit.
Now, more than two years of daily writing later, I have a much clearer understanding of how accountability worked for me. I loathed having to post a word count, and felt it was only fair if I read others’ posts and showed an interest in them since they had bothered to read my post and encourage me. It turned out this was a key difference in keeping me engaged, that this little bit of social interaction and the chance to encourage someone else was something I enjoyed immensely. Today, most of my closest writing friends were among the first people I met on that journey. Together, we encouraged each other, demonstrating a principle true to social media, that the human factor is what makes the difference. It seems those of us who engaged with each other most are still close to this day and still maintain our writing discipline.
As much as accountability is good for starting a new habit, it’s also great for breaking a bad one. In a 2015 joint study between University of California, Irvine, and Stanford University, Twitter messages were used between a group of smokers intent on kicking their habit. The premise was simple: members of the study groups retweeted anti-smoking messages twice daily resulting in a 42% cessation rate for one group and a whopping 75% for a second group. One thing noted in the study was that a party-like atmosphere emerged as did group leaders and encouragers who helped everyone in the attempt to go 100 days without smoking. For more on this study, read here.
For a quick list of other positive ways to use social media for accountability in your life, check out this list from Livestrong.
To visit other blogs in the A to Z Challenge, click here:
little did I know that I’d still be with it 2+ years later. Always enjoy reading your thoughts and stories
The human factor is critical. I’m glad social media has worked for you this way. It brought us together!
the title of your blog did not make me think it would be about social media- it was a good hook tho
Really loved this and have enjoyed the two plus years of daily checking and writing. Encouraging each other is essential to accountability. Will enjoy reading the rest.
The accountability there was a huge factor for me, especially in the first few months. I didn’t want to check in to say I failed. And the interactions were priceless. I rarely remember a blog or book or any promo from someone who drops a link and runs – I remember the people who engage. And I remember some late night laughing fits. Now I can’t even imagine not knowing the friends I found there.
I totally agree. It’s the engagement that matters most and for that, it’s worth it to face the dark alleys and lurking malfeasants of social media. Like you, I can’t imagine my life without the friends I met along the way and so many of those laughs are tied to your work. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I think I’m going to enjoy reading your A-Z theme. A healthy balance of social media in my life is something that has been on my mind lately. And accountability–love it! I certainly rely on my writer’s group, and writing accountability exercises (like Blogging A-Z).
Thanks. You know, I found your blog last night and was grateful I did. I need to get caught up on your posts. Thanks fro reading mine and commenting.