Sometimes, social media can feel like a slog.

I’ve heard these statements so many times before:

“I don’t know what to post.”

“I had to get off of social media; there’s just so much negativity.”

“I’m tired of all the politics!”

“I was spending too much time on social media, so I deleted the apps from my phone.”

Being present on social media can be taxing. It can be a lot to wade through on a personal level. (“Great, Aunt Karen is being racist again! I’m so tired of all of these ads! Fred posts so much junk all day long!”) And social media can also take up quite a bit of time, energy, and money if you’re implementing a marketing plan on your business social media accounts.

So… should you just… not bother with any of it?

This is the solution that a lot of real estate agents come to. They don't intentionally make this decision; they just stop posting and checking their accounts one day, and one day becomes a week, etc. And for those who genuinely enjoy being on social media personally and professionally, this is a shame—because social media can be such a powerful tool for your business (but you already knew that).

But what if there was a way to curate your social media to be a more joyful experience?

What if identifying what you personally love about social media could re-invigorate your social media marketing efforts for your business?

One time when I was a kid, I sketched a design of my dream house. A dream house just for me. It had an epic art studio, a music studio, a reading nook, and a roller coaster.

And I feel like social media can kind of be like that. A space that you can design and curate just for you.

I’ve always felt like I had a decent amount of control over what I see on social media. I don’t hesitate to unfriend, unfollow, hide, snooze, block, mute, etc. so I can curate my experience. If I don’t want to unfriend someone on Facebook but I don’t want to see the 1000000th photo of their grandbaby, I just unfollow so I don’t see their content anymore. Or maybe I just need a break from a certain account, and if that’s the case, then I’ll “snooze for 30 days” and reassess later. Tired of seeing someone’s Instagram Stories pop up, but don’t want to unfriend them? You can mute an account’s Instagram Stories. Etc.

Of course, the flip side of this is actively deciding what I like (and actually love!) about social media. What type of content do I enjoy, value, or feel inspired by? What do I want to spend my finite attention span and energy on?

I’ve spent some time thinking about this. What do I want to be consuming and spending my precious time on?

Here are a few of my favorite things about social media:

I appreciate that some of the hyper-local Facebook pages/groups I follow keep me clued in to happenings in my immediate neighborhood.
I love seeing a wide variety of art, following several visual artists, and seeing their behind-the-scenes videos of how they create their art. I’ve come across so much new art through Instagram.
I value new perspectives. I like reading/listening to other opinions and viewpoints. I have learned so much about the world this way. (Although admittedly, like everyone else, I’m in a bit of an echo chamber and this is sometimes how people become radicalized in not-so-helpful ways...)
I like staying in the loop with what friends, family, colleagues, and some acquaintances are up to. Facebook, Instagram, and BeReal are great for this. (This one is probably super obvious, but I had to say it, ‘cause it’s true!)
I realllllly appreciate some of the Facebook groups that help niche communities I’m in stay connected.
I am always excited to see an easy-to-digest slider in my Instagram feed. Could be a slider about a current event, or a slider from a therapist about mental health. (Gotta make sure sources are cited for those current events, though!)
I looooove TikTok for how it’s connected me to SO MUCH fascinating information. The TikTok algorithm loves to show me videos about history, therapy, feminism, racism, religion, books, writing, careers, animals, marketing, and more. TikTok is NOT just an app with silly dancing videos, folks. Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it!
I love funny Instagram Reels and am constantly DMing Reels back and forth with friends. I can’t help it!
When I need inspiration—whether it’s crafts, recipes, home decor, or crocheting dog sweaters—I head to Pinterest. Pinterest is *great* about suggesting content I might like, too.

This is not an exhaustive list. But it’s a few of the big ones for me.

If you’d like to re-discover what you love about social media, here are my tips for you:

For the next few days, be especially present while you’re on each of the social media platforms you frequent. Observe what you like and don’t like. How does a post make you feel? Do you want more or less of that feeling?
Take the time to curate your feed. Unfollow, unfriend, mute, etc. It takes time to do all of this, but it’s worth it.
Train the algorithm. My “suggested” content on Instagram is a lot of art, chihuahuas, home renovations, interior design, and real estate. But it doesn’t have to be. If I decide that I want to see more travel-related content, I should search for travel-related keywords. Destinations, travel tips, city guides, that type of thing. And when I see content I like and want to see more of, I need to hit the like button. (This same concept is true for other social media platforms, too.)

Social media burnout is very real. And even more so if you’re using social media to market your real estate business. But ask yourself, where are the pockets and corners of the internet that you actually *want* to spend time on? And how can you + your biz be this warm/fuzzy/interesting/beautiful/etc. corner of the internet for someone else?