08/11/2025
It feels like everywhere you look now there’s an article, or a reel, shared on social media (oh, the irony!), warning about the dangers of social media, doom scrolling, short form video content and what it’s doing to our brains and society.
As someone who works in social media, it’s hard not to feel like part of the problem, rather than part of any kind of solution.
Sometimes it’s tough not to drown in guilt and shame when you look at your astronomical screen time, realise you didn’t hear your child talking as you check another email, or look at the clock and realise just how long you’ve been watching silly videos for.
I find myself getting jealous occasionally of those people who say “I barely even look at Facebook” or “Instagram, is that still even a thing?” (I’m convinced some of them are liars!) But I do quietly wonder to myself how much more time I would have, and how much more I could achieve if I removed myself from the social media merry-go-round. I know in order to function and work I have to set myself strict rules about when and how I consume it, otherwise I’d never get anything done!
But I think in a world where anyone can say anything, (and oh how they do!) and the rise of artificial intelligence that’s making it increasingly difficult for us to tell what’s real and what might be manufactured… we are searching more and more for things that are meaningful, true and authentic.
I find it hard not to feel like a bit of a charlatan, because honestly, with the rise of AI surely it’s not that difficult to do up a few social media posts? But if you’ve worked in social media for any length of time you can spot the vast difference between a thrown together ChatGPT post, and something that was created with thought, strategy and purpose. And I also understand that often my clients are not just paying for expertise, but time. Along with strategic, purposeful digital marketing assistance, which, when done well is still not that simple to produce.
I still believe there is a place for truth, and connection in amongst it all. We can get caught up on stats, and branding, but truly good marketing is still simply about connection. I think that because our feeds are now awash with manufactured content- the authentic is going to shine all the brighter. And that’s something I won’t ever stop trying to deliver for my clients.
— Robyn