One reason to stop trying so hard on social media

Ben Marshall Nov. 21, 2021

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We've all likely heard some form of this adage for our social media age: "Stop comparing everyone else's highlight reel with your everyday."

Social media has set us up to select the best and filter the rest. Even if a picture was taken with poor lighting or quality, the editing tools within most apps now allow us to edit into a high quality image. But it's not real life. And it takes a lot of time.

I run the social media for our student ministry and I feel the pressure to deliver. Not just deliver content often, but good content.

Content that connects. Content that connects in a way that leads to organic sharing, commenting, likes and re-posting. It's not easy. And, honestly, I probably fail at it more than I succeed.

But, one thing I've come to realize is that I need to stop trying so hard on social media. The posts I try really hard on, trying to get perfect, do OK. They aren't home runs every time, but they gain decent traction.

Thinking of the ROI (return on investment) of the time needed to create these posts, though, brings me to the question: "Is it really worth it?"

The same kind of issue came up in my personal blogging journey. I was thinking too much and trying too hard. And then I wrote about that.

And that is what connected. Being honest, open and vulnerable about my struggle. And that brought me to the realization that I need to stop trying so hard on social media, and simply be myself.

Here is the rule I try to follow, and one I want to share with you, that will hopefully ease some of the pressure from needing to perform and post with perfection on social media:

Don't try to be too relevant or trendy, instead, try to be genuine.

It's like Craig Groeschel says about leadership: "People would rather follow a leader who is real rather than one who is always right."

Applying that to social media, we could say, "People would rather follow an account where the one posting is always real, rather than one who is always trying to fit in with the next trend."

This may not work in every context, but we have gained traction as we pursue genuine and real over trendy posts.

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Ben Marshall is a Pastor at Pathway Church in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. He works with teenagers and young adults. He is passionate about leadership and raising up the next generation of biblical leaders. He is a blogger, guitar player and sports enthusiast. Ben currently resides in Beaver Falls with his wife Connie and their two daughters, Aliya and Sophie Learn More »

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