Dear readers, the procrastinator in me is terrified. Stepping out of my comfort zone, I have decided to participate in a month-long blogging challenge, and I am already lagging. As per my true nature, the theme reveal happened only in my dreams and the indecisive human in me didn’t let me finalize one topic. Here are a few topics that I wanted to write on: Nursery rhymes with darker meanings, Recipes with each letter, and motherhood challenges from A to Z, but ended up choosing none.
Is it just me or is everyone’s brain running with multiple open tabs all the time? Being a mom of two constantly talking kids famous for being velcro babies (babies stuck to their parents always) makes it a bit more challenging. Okay, now that I am done with my rant, let us focus on today’s topic which is pretty close to my heart.
My Love-hate relationship with social media
It has been more than seven years since I started an Instagram account for fun. Seven years and more than a thousand posts later, it has become a place that keeps calling me back. The algorithm pushes back hard and more commercially focused content is another downside of this platform yet there is something about this social media magnetism that won’t stop being alluring. The people that you know via your platform who love your work are one of the major reasons we all as a creators stick around.
From long form of content to a 15-second reel, a lot has changed over the years however one thing which remains constant is the freedom of creativity one gets. When the content reaches the right audience, and you interact with like-minded people, the platform feels like the right place to be.
Being a parent how do I see this platform?
Be it this platform or any other, social media is not meant for kids. I believe it is important to keep the kids away from the kind of internet exposure these platforms have. Social media can work as a great escape if one understands where to draw the line between reel and real but for kids, it is not an easy task. Over-exposure to screen time isn’t healthy for young minds. As much as we love to monitor the content on the internet our kids are watching, it becomes quite impossible to monitor such platforms.
Kids crave contact with their friends and peers, and social media has become an important way for them to interact. Kids in late elementary and early middle school often push for social media access. Parents feel pressured to comply to avoid their children feeling excluded.
Did you know that major social media platforms like Instagram, and Snapchat have rolled out a series of parental control settings as an answer to parents’ concerns about their kids’ exposure? Once parents link their account to their child’s, they can control all privacy settings for their child’s account. Parents can also restrict the types of videos that can come up on their feed, limit screen time, limit or turn off comments and likes, and turn off direct messages (this is automatically disabled for kids ages 13 to 15). Source.
Long-form or short-form of content?
The words are never enough, long-form content will always be my pick over anything. Reading and writing both give me immense hope and love. Inculcating this habit in my kids is my motto of life. Long-form content gives me the freedom to express myself well without the restriction of words. Although, creating content in both forms needs creativity, ideas, and patience. A good piece of content irrespective of the length will find the right audience and garner the love it deserves.
Which would you pick? A blog over a reel or a long caption over a twitter thread?
This is my 1st post for the blogging challenge by Blogchatter #blogchatterA2Z
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I do think social media has become a necessary evil. For my children, it was no phones until they turned fourteen, so they are rather late entrants to social media as compared to their peers.