Tag Archives: social media

Would I Quit Social Media?

Social media, do we need it? Here are a few reasons why we don’t: it’s a huge time waster, it lowers your self-esteem, it’s addictive and unhealthy, privacy issues, you often don’t learn anything valuable, it can make you negative, it can damage your reputation, it encourages superficial relationships.


For me, I’ve gotten value from social media because I’ve focused on what I want to get from it. Which means I haven’t experienced most of the things that I mentioned above.

I’ve had a Facebook account for almost 15 years. But I don’t use it like most people use it; I don’t go in there and scroll through the feed to see what people are doing. Frankly, I don’t care. I use it for direct messages, and people will direct me if there’s something important to see.

I use Instagram as my personal magazine of the things I like: cars, basketball, sneakers, technology, travel, photography, mindset stuff and models. Twitter is the social network I use the most, and the one I’ve gotten the most value from, because it’s where I get the intellectual stimulation. I’ve met many interesting people on Twitter which have become offline friends; and that’s great!

Two years ago I reduced my social media time because I was inundated with work; so I didn’t have a lot of time. What I missed the most during that time was the intellectual stimulation I got; not the memes and nonsense.

I know people who are perfectly happy being offline. Sure, they’re missing out on stuff. But they don’t care. It’s not a surprise, there are benefits from not using smartphones and social media.  With that said, the only reason I feel the need to be on social media is because of intellectual stimulation. I’m not in it to chit-chat and waste time, I’m in it to connect with people who are intellectually stimulating and contribute value to their network.

So ask yourself: what do you want to get from it?

You can stay clear of all the negative stuff, but we all know that’s a dream. Why? Because you have to be more rational; and that’s not something humans wake up everyday to do. Most people don’t wake up with the intent to get smarter and better everyday.

With that said, we are what we pay attention to. So, to control your life, control what you pay attention to.


Bottom line: We don’t need social media. We need human connection, by sharing our thoughts and ideas; we don’t need the bullshit that comes with social media.

Companies Don’t Innovate, Markets Do

companies don't innovate markets do

Illustration by Christian Laborin

One of the reasons big companies can’t innovate is they grow inert and can’t match the dynamism of the market. Markets are dynamic, companies are not. It’s very hard for companies to match the velocity, variance and selection of markets. As a business leader, a good question to ask yourself is: Are we changing as fast as the world is changing?

The most common answer is no.

You Are What You Pay Attention To

distraction sickness

Illustration by Christian Laborin

Fake news is killing people’s minds! This is what Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, said and he wants to do something about. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that fake news isn’t new.

Twitter Is What You Make of It

TwitterThe end of Twitter? Nice title, but Twitter isn’t in trouble if it sticks to, and evolves on, what makes it essential.

Joshua Topolsky’s piece on the New Yorker triggered responses from various users pointing out why Twitter isn’t dead, what it could be, what it isn’t and some fact checking.

It really frustrates me that people keep comparing Twitter to Facebook, and that it’s failing because it’s business doesn’t look like Facebook’s. If everyone wants Twitter to be like Facebook, then Twitter has a long way to go and most likely is in trouble. But Twitter isn’t Facebook, and shouldn’t be Facebook.

That’s the fundamental problem with Twitter: it’s trying to be like other social networks.

Twitter is different, and that’s what makes it great. How so?

Reputationville: A World Where The Work Finds You

the reputation economyImagine living in a world where, just like an Uber driver is waiting for you when you need it, the work finds you. To a certain degree, we’re already living in a world where reputation matters. But let’s take it a step further and consider other factors beyond who you know and what you know; what obstacles are standing in the way?

Does the Internet Inspire Or Stifle Creativity?

Here’s an interesting question, does the internet threaten creativity or nurture it?,

It depends on how you look at it. When we think about the internet, we think of many things: websites, blogs, social networks, social media, etc..

All these components of the internet let us express ourselves in one way or another, connect with people we know, meet strangers, learn from others and create with others. But, while all this is great, the other side of what makes us human also makes it onto the internet.

With the help of internet, you can have a successful social media campaign, when effective, can bring profitable results to your business like exploding your traffic and getting more leads for higher conversion. Social media is probably the foremost popular and one among the foremost powerful internet marketing tools today that the majority businesses are now using it to profit from the results.

Really, the internet both inspires and stifles creativity, here’s how…

How the Internet threatens creativity

Creativity, by it’s nature, is about bravery. So, to think creatively is to challenge the status-quo. Great!

One of the common benefits of having access to so much information and people is that we can find answers rather quickly. But this benefit has immediate consequences when we stop paying attention to human nature, for people will congregate around the same ideas on social networks which eventually leads to group-think.

What does that mean?

A few years ago I wrote a piece on how social media is group-think on steroids because it puts critical thinking to sleep. Critical thinking and creativity go hand in hand, but the megaphone that is social media turns people into lambs drinking the same kool-aid; making critical thinking irrelevant.

Where all think alike nobody thinks very much, and thus the status-quo stops being challenged.

See, the internet doesn’t make us more stupid because, in general terms, we’re stupid and shallow to begin with. But it may help some of us to become dumber and more shallow faster and more efficiently.

Simply put, the internet (if we let it) doesn’t eliminate human bias; it amplifies it.

How the Internet nurtures creativity

Not all is gray, for many great things happen because of the internet. I, like others, have used the internet to solve problems by collaborating with people from around the world. These connections came about because of serendipitous exchanges on Twitter and other mediums; the type that fuels innovation.

The advantage of the internet is open communication, so the simple act of sharing a thought on Twitter can become a conversation. Same goes with blogging, it brings like minds together. This is a good example of how the internet nurtures creativity. Beyond my immediate family, I’ve met all the most valuable people that I know through the internet.

My take is that just like innovative businesses understand that group-think is an enemy of innovation and thus create mechanisms to counter it, if we understand how this dynamic applies on the internet, we can counter it.

It’s important that we do because the future of work will be much more digital and collaborative than it is today; I guarantee it.

Bottom line: The Internet has the power to both bring out the best and worst in us. I foresee we’ll be debating whether or not technology make us stupid well into the future, but let’s put it to rest right now: Technology doesn’t make us stupid, it makes us smarter.