Social media. It has the power to connect us all, help us spread positive things, grow our businesses, or even take over our lives, in the worst way. The truth is, some people aren’t going to like this post, but don’t worry, I’ll be back to sharing happy/non-controversial things like hikes, gardening and yummy recipes soon. For now, here are 6 awesome/NOT so awesome social media trends.
Let’s start with the awesome first:
- The idea that being the face of your business has really caught on! Thanks to wildly popular posts like this one from Erin Benzakein business owners, bloggers and entrepreneurs are starting to show their faces and the “behind the scenes” look into their lives. The downside? Some folks feel it’s necessary to post 100 videos a day. Listen, you don’t need to Insta-story your daily teeth brushing. We do not need a play-by-play of your entire existence. To be honest, if your feed has like 20+ videos, a lot of us will just skip it over.
- Shorter, to the point, articles are gaining in popularity. These days, most people don’t want to sit down and read 1000 words. We’re busy and we’re skimmers. We want to get to the point, learn something new, laugh or have that “Me too!” moment. Share some beautiful photos, say what you need to say and then wrap it up. This is a nice trend for the reader and the writer!
- Being able to get to know people you admire. Say you’re reading a book and you love the author- most of the time you can look them up and get to know them better! When Instagram made the genius move to create “stories” it became game-changing for so many of us who enjoy showing un-edited behind the scenes details. Favorite people to follow? Those who are keeping it authentic. Think not-scripted. Funny. Interesting and remember- not over posting.
NOT So Awesome Social Media Trends:
- Everyone selling something. Remember when Facebook posts used to be like: “Angela….is so happy to be home from a great morning at the park.” Remember when we used to talk about ourselves in 3rd person, like 7 years ago? Back when we played Farmville! We were so new! Now don’t get me wrong because a lot of my friends that I LOVE are doing SUPER well at the Facebook-preneur thing, but when everyone is selling something, it’s not so enjoyable. Actually it’s super annoying to be added over and over to 25 different groups all about leggings and lipstick. They’re asking me to sell things too, and I’m all like “Come on…the last thing the world needs is another Mom posting her before and after photos.”
- The “taking it all off” trend. So there’s this thing happening. Women are getting fit, strong and healthy. They’re doing hard things, like challenging workouts or conquering hard mountains, but afterwards…..they’re taking their clothes off for all the world (including husbands and children) to see. What’s up with this, you guys? Why are we climbing mountains and then taking our shirts off for the lake? Why are we flexing our newly-found abs all over Facebook?
Call me a prude all day long, but in my opinion, you are so much more beautiful and important, when you’re treating yourself with respect. Be healthy, fit and do hard things. No need to post yourself without clothes on to prove it.
![]()
- The like for like, follow-for-follow. When I first started NW Healthy Mama, I wasn’t part of a single “blogging support group” and guess what? It was the best choice. Success was authentic and organic. It made me fall in love and become fiercely protective of the community that was created. Then a few gals started adding me to all these “blogging support” groups and I went with it for awhile. The like for like, comment for comment, follow for follow routine is all over the place. But it’s not real and it just about drained all the inspiration right out of me. So I left them all and I thought about people like Joanna Gaines, The Pioneer Woman, Kelle Hampton and a few other writers who shine brightly in who they are. They are authentic and people have recognized that. Never again will I try to do what it seems like “everyone else” is doing.
What social media trends are you loving or not loving right now?