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Comment by FourthProtocol | Hacker News Reader

#13. Social Media with a Purpose made me pause - I have two Instagram accounts, and a Facebook account.

Instagram 1 is for family and friends. It's snapshots of daily life for family and friends all over the world.

Instagram 2 is for others that like me enjoy making radio-controlled replica cars and trucks from flat sheets of styrene.

Facebook is to let people who know me find me.

Why would one NOT have a reason for social media? Anything as mundane as keeping up with distant friends and family is reason enough, no? And of course that's going to forever remain mimetic unless you're a business. That's why there's the word "social" in social media, or did I miss the boat?

TikTok for entertainment. Twitter to be heard... I can't believe one would have any kind of social media account without a purpose. Even if it's showing off your wealth, or pretending to be something you're not - they're all reasons, no?

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> If you have a vague answer, dial it in immediately.

I think this covers most people's use of social media. Many at best have a vague notion of why they are on social media, or at worst have not even considered the possibility of not participating. "With a purpose" to me suggests forethought: Think about why you are on social media before participating (or before your next interaction), if you haven't thought much of it before. This is very different from coming up reasons after the fact, which I think is far more common.

Not sure it needs to be dialled in for social media. If you want to achieve a result like monetisation then yes, but then it's no longer social, it's just become an income-related activity (job!!) and is no longer social media -- it's now a tool to achieve a non-social media goal.

A counter case -- for sure as a consultant at McKinsey, umlaut or Accenture you'll write out a communications plan in which you detail and map project stakeholders, places/times of project news and briefings, publicity, dealing with external inquiries and so on. That's a very, very specific and detailed set of requirements for what boils down to social media at corporate level.

Way over the top for Jane and Joe Average. For whom "keep in touch with friends and family" is specific. For many the notion of not participating is unthinkable - becuase THAT's where all their family and friends are. And so it requires no additional pontification, I'd think.

What might an example of a loftier, more dialled-in purpose be?

I don't think dialed-in has to be lofty. Keeping in touch with family is a perfectly fine reason. My point, and I think the point of the author, is that thinking about it before, not after, offers an opportunity to deepen your understanding.

For the longest time, those in my circle who used Facebook to "keep in touch" really didn't. Sending me an apple on the latest farm game isn't a genuine interaction to me. It was only after I quit that close friends finally got the hint that Facebook was not a good way to reach out to me, despite explicitly saying it many times before.

For those for whom not participating is presently unthinkable, maybe thinking it over would do some good. That doesn't necessitate changing one's choice in the end, but considering it can be useful in and of itself. Family and friends are not only on Facebook. They have a real presence in the real world. Even if one chooses to stay on Facebook or whatever social media du jour, realizing this can be immensely helpful.

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