I’ll admit it: I’m struggling as a social media marketer right now.

Not struggling in the “I can’t do my job well” way. I had a great year in 2021, and I’m on pace already to have another good one in 2022 with a slew of fantastic clients.

No, I’m talking about the emotional and ethical component of being a social media marketer in 2022.

By day, I help companies optimize their social media marketing. I conduct audits to help companies better understand where they are–and where they want to go. I help companies devise strategies designed to help them reach and influence their target audiences. I help companies with content creation and management. I help coach executives and teams on how to best harness the power of social media marketing for their benefit.

Essentially, I help companies use social media marketing to sell more products or services.

By night, I’m a social media user–just like everyone else. I watch my Wolves, Gophers and Jayhawks and follow along with the conversation on Twitter. I browse Insta and see my friends and what spectacular vacations they’re taking. I even look at Facebook once in a while to keep up with family and friends. Some of the interactions are fun–I even chuckle to myself at some of the posts I read each day. But, a lot of it is really horrible stuff. Divisive rhetoric. Countless examples of terrible leadership. And, many instances, of course, of people tearing each other down publicly every day.

I also watch as my teenagers are GLUED to their phones–watching TikTok, YouTube and Insta Stories. They’re seeing the same stuff I am–the good, but mostly, the ugly. However, they don’t have the luxury of having a fully-formed brain. So, the negativity and ruthless insults are much more prevalent (if you can believe that) in a teenager’s world. I’ve seen in on my kids’ phones. I hear about it from their mouths. It’s not good folks. It’s not good at all.

And therein lies the conundrum. By day, I’m working to help companies make a profit from social media marketing. It’s fun. I like it. And, I think I’m pretty OK at it.

But, by night, I see the evils of social media marketing. They’re right in my face–every single night. And like I said, sure some of it is fun and light-hearted. But, the majority is negative and not good for anyone’s mental health.

So lately, I’ve found myself loving my days and my work with my clients, and kinda dreading my evenings (from a social consumption perspective, at least). And, I think about my kids and what kind of impact this is having on their lives.

For now, I’m *trying* to unplug more in the evenings. So far, that’s not going super well. FOMO is real. Habits are hard to break. But, I’m trying.

In my mind, a big part of what’s made me so successful is that work ethic. And a big part of that is being online almost 24/7. Reading articles. Prepping for the podcast. Getting ready for my class. It takes a ton of time. And it requires me to be on social media A LOT. I need to break that cycle a bit. I need to trust myself. But, it’s hard.

I really don’t have a concluding thought today. This is confession, of sorts. I’m just trying to work though it–like everyone else. Wish me luck…