Do You Have Social Media Burnout?

If you really think about it, social media is like the key in the lock for fashion people. We are innately visual, often boastful, and surely competitive. We enjoy sharing things that we buy, love and find with our friends, colleagues and associates. But when engaging and producing content for social media platforms and networks, I find myself always connected in some way. If it’s not a tweet than it’s a status update or even if it’s just keeping my eye on my timeline – social listening, if you will.

The more that we get involved with the endless amount of fashion festivities, the more we find ourselves constantly being plugged in. At a great party hosted by your favorite fashion label? Foursquare check-in. Finally caved in and bought those Carven pumps at Barneys? Instagram it. The Met Ball is being livestreamed on Amazon Fashion? Live Tweet it. Watching Girls on HBO? Get Glue check-in. Find a gorgeous pair of 3.1 Phillip Lim sandals? Pin it. And so on and so forth, you get the picture.

But is there ever a time that we get to disconnect and unplug from tablets, desktops or mobile devices and take some time for ourselves? If you’re a high volume tweeter, I know you’ve asked yourself at least once before. And if we do decide to disconnect, do we become irrelevant for not consistently contributing our digital fashion communities? If we take a break from our social diets, will be able to keep abreast with an industry that moves faster than last season’s micro-trend?

The truth of the matter is that IRL we need that time to kick our feet up and catch up on that book we can’t seem to finish, in order to keep offline lives grounded so we don’t reach an virtual insanity and a burgeoning social media burnout. There’s no need to feel like you’re running in a rat race, set your own pace and disseminate as you see fit. Just like your own personal style, it’s not about following others that did it before or fitting a mold. It’s actually quite the contrary, breaking the rules and doing what makes you feel good is will set you apart and will always be received as authentic.