TMI: Social Media Overload

What kind of bitch are you? A classy one, obviously.

I’ll admit it.  My Facebook friends list is full of all the people from high school who I haven’t seen in years who I eagerly friended while I avoided studying during college. Even after several bouts of unfriending, I’ve got 1048 Facebook friends, all of whom I’ve met in person but many of whom I may not go out of my way to say hi to if I saw them today.

So its probably not surprising that I log in each morning to a slew of useless, time-sucking information. As a result, I often find myself chasing trails of completely irrelevant information simply because its there.  Like looking up at the clock and realizing I’ve been so glued to the Rock of Love marathon, I didn’t realize it was already 2am — its a guilty pleasure… sans pleasure.

I’m sometimes surprised by what acquaintances choose to post.  I was a little grossed out when my cousin, a mother of 3, recently shared the video for “Birthday Sex” on her Facebook page.  But during the glory days of MySpace, I connected with a friend I hadn’t seen since middle school – and learned all the sordid details of her recent divorce without even so much as a “hello”.

Sometimes its not even personal information that I find so unncessary.   Another friend from high school is apparently a binge game-player, and she often fills my news feed with back-to-back announcements of her latest high scores.  And the Facebook apps… Oh, the Facebook apps.  Don’t even get me started.

So what gives?  Despite having been an early adopter of social media (and a hude advocate of its use in marketing), even I realize that today’s level of sharing is a bit more than anyone needs (or really wants).  While it’s all positioned under the guise of “connectedness”, browsing through page after page of photos of distant friends has a way of cultivating more loneliness than it does intrigue.

Ever the life-optimizer, I frequently tweak my RSS settings.  Just like balancing one’s diet, it’s important to take in just the right quality and amount of information to stay your sharpest.

But that’s where today’s social web fails me.  Who do I really care to hear from, and how often?  Severing the connect might make sense in the short term, but what about the long term?  They could be potential client some time down the round.  They could be my neighbor.  Its seems to me like I’m far more likely to encounter the person again if I unfriend them now, because then I’ll look like the asshole when they someday want to make a post on my wall and realize we’re not connceted.

An earlier round of settings included complete control over what people can see about you.  A worthwhile developmental undertaking, surely – although embarrassing public over-sharing still occurs, often by accident.

But controlling what others see is not a problem for those who use discretion.  Today’s concern is the need to be connected, while still managing the deluge of irrelevancy (and sometimes, downright stupidity) that flows so freely through our news feeds.

You hear that, Zuckerburg?

See also

1. Diving in to social media
2. Product Camp Austin: From Product Management To Social Product Management
3. Oh, Facebook Ads!