What is Your Social Media Ratio?

ejcheung
Apr 12, 2024
3 min read

Our family adheres to a 2:1 ratio to manage social media usage. For every hour spent on TikTok and SnapChat, my kids must dedicate 30 minutes to engaging in something productive.

How do we enforce this rule?

It’s all based on self-tracking and self-reporting. If they forget to report (done every two weeks) or breach the ratio, they receive a strike. Just like in baseball, accumulating three strikes means the social media app (the really only care about TikTok and Snapchat) is OUT - deleted! Can you imagine a teenager relying solely on WhatsApp for communication?

What have we learned from this?

Using spreadsheets for tracking (mom being a CFO comes in handy), we’ve created formulas to monitor the progress. They quickly learned the importance of rounding down when a 2.01 ratio results in a strike. (Skill: Application)
What initially began as a ratio of social media to reading has evolved into a social media to productive activities. Suddenly, even walking the dog qualifies as a productive activity. (Skill: Negotiation)
Analysing the data has opened avenues for a conversation about social media. What caught our interest that we should stay updated on? Did we procrastinate on productive activities until the last minute? What changes can we make moving forward? These moments of reflection have proven to be powerful discussions on the impact of social media and screen time. (Skill: Reflection)

The Adult Perspective

“You are always glued to your devices!” the kids would often accuse.

“Well, we're not just mindlessly scrolling TikTok. We're engaging in productive tasks: reading the news, managing banking, communicating for work.”

While adults may boast more experience in time management, we can't ignore the influence of social media. Its effects vary for each individual, but how do we use its power for a positive impact?

Since I mainly use LinkedIn, my comments are limited to this sphere.

Number of Followers

Take for instance, Eric Sim, who has an impressive THREE MILLION followers on LinkedIn. I follow him because his stories, much like his book “Small Actions,” are concise and emphasize actionable steps. He can influence a large number of readers.

Did you know there are courses available on how to write on LinkedIn to your boost follower count? So, as an aspiring author, should I prioritize my style even if it garners fewer likes? Or shouldn’t the goal be to share experiences with a broader audience?

Quality vs. Quantity

Sang Shin recently shared a post and script detailing how he removed 8000 connections in one weekend. While not everyone needs to execute such a drastic move, it's essential to focus on WHY we post in the first place. Surely, it's not solely to amass connections.

For me, LinkedIn has been a powerful tool for building quality relationships, beyond the connections and likes. When someone reaches out and shares the relatability of my post, it makes my day.

A recent post by Brian Henderson, a successful lawyer turned mental health advocate, captured that spirit. He expressed his excitement: “Something extraordinary happened today. Someone saw one of my posts on burnout, listened to the podcast I did with Aaron Pang of Transformative Purpose, found their experience very similar to mine, and actually reached out to ask for help!”